No Longer a Game
by Yvaine-Star
Summary: Lucy and Sting met just two days before the Grand Magic Games. Soon, their relationship intensifies into something that isn't a game anymore. It's a dark secret that may tear apart their lives.
1. Blue Blinking Eyes

AN: I went back to completely redo the first chapter, considering this was the first thing I ever wrote for fan fiction. Hopefully it's better now ; )

Also, keep in mind that I messed with some of the timing of the events that take place during the Grand Magic Games

* * *

Lucy felt the breeze blow through her blonde hair that was shining brilliantly in the sun with a shudder. She'd forgotten to wear a jacket despite all indications it would be a cooler day. Though, how cold she felt was the last thing on her mind. Primarily, she couldn't let the death of her father pass from her mind. It was still too new to her. Every time her mind wandered to the subject, she felt a dull pain in her heart.

Then again, maybe the weather did have a bit to do with how she felt. The view from where she sat gave an excellent preview of Crocus, which was full of life and movement due to the sunny weather. And that was just it; weren't you supposed to feel gloomy on a cloudy day and not a sunny one? And yet, there she sat, brooding over her life.

Lucy had even ditched Natsu and Happy just to get a moment to herself once their contrasting moods became too much for her. She just couldn't put up with their overbearing excitement.

It was her first day in Crocus and she was spending it sitting on a bench by herself.

Lucy nearly jumped when she heard what she thought to be an angry sigh as a man emerged from the path behind her. His face seemed to be riddled with surprise temporarily before he smiled slightly.

"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone was sitting here. I'm surprised you even found this place," he remarked.

Lucy's eyes widened for a second. "No, it's okay! I was just leaving!" She didn't want to stay there if this was a place he went to get away from life. She'd spent more than enough time on the bench anyways.

Lucy scrambled to gather her bags that she had placed down haphazardly before she was stopped.

"It's fine, you don't have to leave. In fact, would you mind if keep you company?" He asked her.

Lucy slowly lowered her arms, which were full of her possessions while she considered his offer. If she were to be honest with herself, she needed some sort of distraction to stop her moody thoughts from haunting her. So she shook her head yes.

The man smiled and Lucy swore it lit up the entire area it was so bright. "That's great," he commented before confidently walking to the bench and plopping down beside Lucy, who had sat back down.

Lucy wondered where that upset mood he'd been in had gone.

"I'm Sting," he offered, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Lucy," she replied.

"So what brings you to this spot? It's not exactly well known."

Lucy hesitated momentarily. "I needed a bit of a breather. What about you? You seem to be familiar with the area."

"I'm here for the games with my guild. It gets pretty damn serious with them when we're here to compete," he explained.

For the second time, Lucy's eyes widened. He was here for the games? Then what guild was he from? She didn't notice any guild marks on him earlier, and she didn't want to turn around on the bench to look. Most importantly, it was likely covered by the light jacket he was wearing.

"What guild are you from?" Lucy inquired while subtly covering up her guild mark. It wasn't that she was ashamed of Fairy Tail, on the contrary, she was beyond proud of her guild. It was just that she didn't have the energy for questions concerning Fairy Tail's decline in power.

"Sabertooth," Sting answered proudly, as though his guild was the best. Lucy couldn't exactly blame him for thinking so, considering she thought the same thing about her guild despite what had happened to them over the seven years she'd missed.

 _And_ , the name Sabertooth did sound extremely familiar. It'd been tossed around a few times while her guild was considering entering the games or not.

 _Wait, no. It couldn't be._ They were considered the most powerful guild in Fiore currently!

And finally, the dreaded question came. "Are you here for the games too?" Sting questioned her.

If Lucy had a button that allowed her an immediate exit to the situation, she'd press it in a heartbeat. Why did he have to be from Sabertooth?!

"Yes," Lucy admitted cryptically.

"...And which guild are you a part of?"

"Fairytail," Lucy answered, inwardly tensing up at her own answer.

For the smallest second, he seemed surprised. Before Lucy could check to see again, Sting let out a sharp laugh.

"Hey!" Lucy remarked, ready to defend her guild.

"Sorry, sorry," Sting apologized, putting his hands up in a sign of sincerity. "It's just, Fairy Tail has done so horribly in the past years. What the hell happened to your guild anyways?"

And suddenly, Lucy's mind was transported back to all the horrors she'd encountered on Tenrou Island. Achnologia had to be one of the scariest encounters she'd ever had in her life, not to mention all the other battles she'd barely won. "I don't want to talk about it," Lucy whispered.

"Sorry I asked," Sting replied.

"It's alright. It's just a really touchy subject to all of us. You know how all those Fairy Tail members disappeared all those years ago?"

Sting nodded.

"I was one of them. I don't want to say anything else about it... It's just that it's been difficult ever since we got back."

"Well, how about instead of you moping about on this bench, we go get something to drink?" Sting suggested with a large smile taking over his face.

Lucy considered it for a moment. Surely Natsu and the other guild members would be wondering where she'd gone off to if she were to go with Sting. What was worse was that most of Fairy Tail absolutely despised Sabertooth. And yet, Lucy couldn't help but want to go with Sting because she felt a need to fix the aching hole in her heart that made itself present anytime she felt lonely. She didn't feel lonely with Sting currently, so it seemed like a good decision to make.

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

Okay, so maybe going with Sting wasn't the best idea after all. She'd nearly been seen by Lyon, Juvia and Gray while she and Sting were on their way to get a drink. Lucy had grabbed Sting's wrist and pulled them both into an alley hoping desperately that none of them had seen her. (They probably didn't considering the fact that all three were arguing while Gray was being dragged down the street by Juvia).

"What was that about?" Sting asked Lucy. "Couldn't wait to get to the bar?" He added on with a wink.

Lucy then became aware of how close they were to each other and took a step back. "What? No! I saw some of my guildmates and had to get out of the way. They hate Sabertooth," Lucy explained.

"Oh," was all Sting said, before regaining his smile. "We can avoid them from now on, besides, I think the feeling is mutual with my guild."

So then they continued on to the bar, this time, more cautious.

* * *

That night, the two spent their time with each other in the bar of a hotel. Sting immediately bought them drinks and proceeded to talk with Lucy for a while. Lucy told him lots of stories about Fairy Tail, about how they were a family through thick and thin, about their carefree spirits.

The Fairy Tail Lucy described to him sounded like the one he knew growing up. Seven years ago he admired them, but they quickly fell from his eyes when they were kicked out of their own guild hall and the stories of them stopped. He listened to her with rapt attention, more than interested in Fairy Tail's antics.

"What's it like in Sabertooth?" Lucy suddenly asked.

He winced, not really wanting to answer the question. Sabertooth was nothing like the carefree guild of Fairy Tail. It was all about power, nothing was permissible if it weakened the guild.

"It's... Alright? Our master focuses on power and nothing else, and it can be a bit harsh at times, but I like being powerful. It's why I joined," he explained.

She looked like she was deep in thought, then answered. "Do you have friends in your guild?"

"I have one... We've known each other for a long time and are very close. I'm not too close to the others, however. She smiled. At least he wasn't lonely, and his guild cared about him somewhat.

The two continued to drink through the night with chats about a random array of things. They got to know each other more and their demons were kept far from their conversations. They both had a personal problem plaguing them, but they'd rather forget about it for once. They both knew that the other person was a good way to forget that.

It must have been midnight at the point where Lucy said she needed to go, but Sting stopped her. "You shouldn't walk back this late. Stay at this inn tonight."

"My guild will be looking for me," She protested. Lucy knew what could happen if she went out by herself, but that didn't stop her from being nervous about her guild. What if they found her with Sting, a Sabertooth member?

"They'll see you tomorrow, don't worry about it," Sting told her.

"What if I don't have the jewel for it?" She challenged. For once in her life, she had quite a bit of spare jewel.

"I'll pay for you."

Her expression shifted to one of surprise. "We barely know each other, you'd do that for me?"  
"I'd like to get to know you better, so yeah," he nodded.

Lucy's face heated up for the second time that night. 'Get to know her better?!' Was he thinking what she was thinking about? "I... Umm... I d-don't know what to say..." She sputtered. If there was any moment she could recall where she wanted more experience with men, it was then. Sadly, she'd never dated before.

Sting looked at her in confusion. Why the hell was the Fairy sputtering at a simple offer of jewel and getting to know each other- oh (italics). He probably should have worded that better.

"What I meant was further dates, but if you'd rather..." He wasn't about to turn down sleeping with someone if he had the chance. And Lucy certainly wasn't hard on the eyes.

"N-no! I mean no, I'd like to go on more dates," she exclaimed, desperately wishing her face would stop feeling like Natsu set it on fire. Lucy gave up protesting, knowing he was right and they left the bar. If Fairy Tail was worried about her, they should know she was capable of handling herself. She didn't want to cause them anxiety, but sometimes they were too much.  
Sting turned to leave, but Lucy caught his hand. "Thank you, Sting. I had an amazing time tonight, and you really helped me. Maybe-"

Lucy was cut off by Sting grabbing hold of her shoulder and he captured her lips. She was surprised at first, but kissed back. They hadn't known each other for a while, and they had quite a bit to drink, but they mutually liked it, which that was enough. They both deepened the kiss, and Lucy almost found herself gasping for air.

"That was... Wow." She said.

There were times when she thought that she'd never get a boyfriend, times she spent reading romance novels or thinking about what it would be like. Now she was finally experiencing it, and it was breathtaking.

"Sting, stay with me here tonight," she said brightly.


	2. Detrimental Secrets

Chapter 2: Detrimental Secrets

Some mornings Lucy would wake up surprised to see Natsu in her bed, but it was nothing compared to that morning. She wasn't ready to wake up naked, nor was she ready to open her eyes and see Sting lying beside her.

Fairy Tail would be searching for her- and that wasn't even the start of the consequences. What was she thinking the previous day?! It was almost like a dream in her mind- so very different from the reality she was currently in.

Lucy quickly stood up to get dressed before Sting could wake up. The only thing she didn't regret was meeting him. He truly interested her, and made her care again. He took the feeling of loneliness away from her- she would forever grateful for that.

She considered leaving without telling him, but her option was taken away when he woke up. Surprise was reflected in his eyes temporarily, but was soon replaced with a smile.

"Good morning Lucy. You probably have to go back to your guild right?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

The sun was now streaming through the windows, illuminating the bed. Lucy thought about how attractive he was before scolding herself. Her face was heating up again, great.

"Y-yeah. They're probably worried sick. What should I tell them?"

"Don't say anything about me, they'd probably be upset if you did. Just say you got lost and stayed at a different hotel for the night," he offered.

"Will we see each other again?" She asked with hope.

"I hope so, I haven't met anyone like you before. How about we meet here again in the evening, this time less drinking," he suggested.

Lucy nodded with a smile. "Sounds great to me. Goodbye Sting."

* * *

It must have been noon by the time she found where Fairy Tail was staying. As soon as she entered the room, it was like returning from a dream. Natsu and Gray were off in the corner fighting, Erza was eating cake, Cana was drinking and Macao was arguing with Wakaba.

Nothing had changed, yet she felt like she experienced something incredible that nobody else could know about.

"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, finally noticing her.

"Hey Natsu, how was- hey!" Lucy exclaimed. Erza had also noticed her arrival and clearly wasn't as joyed as Natsu.

"Where were you last night? We were looking all over for you! Levy and Wendy are still looking!" She shouted.

Lucy shied away from Erza, who looked like she was one second away from ripping Lucy's head off.

"I got lost last night, it's no big deal Erza. I'm sorry for worrying you all, but I'm fine now and that's what counts, right?" She asked timidly.

Erza glared at her in response, but said nothing further. "Gajeel!"

"What?" He growled.

"Go find Wendy and Levy, they're still looking for Lucy, who's right here," she demanded.

"Fine, fine," Gajeel grumbled, leaving with Lily.

Erza turned her attention back to Lucy, who was having a tough time trying to not look guilty. "There was something else that happened too, what was it?" She asked Lucy.

Lucy laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "No, I'm just upset that I made you guys worry, is all," Lucy thought that was something she would say in this situation, but she never had been a good liar.

Erza narrowed her eyes, but said nothing and walked away. Lucy exhaled loudly, thankful nobody pressed her for further details. If they knew about her and Sabertooth, they'd all be so angry. _They could never know_.

* * *

Sting arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon, and received various welcomes from his guild members. Unlike Lucy, he wasn't suspected of anything. Nobody worried that he was hurt or missing, and for that, he was thankful. He wouldn't know what to say in the event he was asked, it would probably end up being a terribly executed lie.

He went up to his room he was currently sharing with Lector, hoping the exceed wasn't in the room. When he opened the door to his room, he wasn't greeted by Lector, but instead Rogue. This was going to be difficult.

"Sting, I smell someone else on you. What did you do last night?" He asked suspiciously.

Sting was glad he was close enough to Rogue to share his secrets, otherwise he would be in deep trouble. "I met a girl last night, from another guild."

He'd never say she was from Fairy Tail. Even Rogue would think something was wrong with him if he mentioned that fact. So he made up a quick lie, one that was close to the truth.

"It's just some girl from Lamia Scale. It's nothing serious," he told Rogue.

Rogue crossed his arms and gave Sting a disapproving look. "We were looking for you yesterday, and master was very displeased that you missed his speech."

Sting cursed to himself, realizing his master would probably have his head later that day. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time. It won't happen again."

Truthfully, he had no idea if it would happen again. He really liked Lucy, and she liked him too. It was an odd situation, but he wasn't about to stop because his guild master got pissed off. It certainly wasn't the first time that it had happened.

Rogue took Sting's answer, and left the room. Finally, Sting had time to think over the past day's events. First of all, he had to talk to his guild master, no matter how much he didn't want to. Then he had to lie to Rogue and Lector so he could meet Lucy.

He sighed. Lying came a high price, _didn't it?_

* * *

Lucy laughed at a joke Natsu said and was glad to be back with her guild. She was happy nobody questioned her rigorously, that way she could enjoy her time spent with her guild mates.

"So, Lucy, what were you doing last night that kept you out so late?" Gray asked.

 _She had thought too soon_.

"I... Uh. I was out shopping, I found this interesting novel and got lost in it," she lied.

Gray laughed. "Typical Lucy."

"Oh Lucy! What novel? I have to know if it kept your attention for that long!" Levy said. _Damn Gray for asking that question, she almost got away with her lie._

"A Life of a Romantic Woman," she answered, picking the first novel off her mind.

Levy blanched. "Really Lou? That novel is so cliché!"

Lucy laughed, that was true. "I guess I'm a sucker for those. Anyways, I need to go get something at a shop here in Crocus, it's a bit far away, so I won't be back for a while. I'll see you all later!"

Everyone said cheery good-byes to Lucy. They didn't suspect a thing.

* * *

The same hotel, different time, different people. Lucy observed the bustling hotel, the way the people moved about, talked with loved ones, argued. It was just what you'd expect during the busy Grand Magic Games. It was thrilling, lively and brimming with energy. Sting had picked a wonderful spot to go to, Lucy thought. Maybe a bit too loud for her taste, but it was certainly interesting; even entertaining.

Lucy jumped when she felt a finger poke her shoulder. She turned around to see a grinning Sting, clearly proud of himself for scaring her.

"Hey!" She greeted him.

"How did your day go?"

"Alright, I had to make up a lot of lies, but it was worth it for this. So, what do you want to do today?"

"I was thinking we could go to a nice restaurant. I found this really nice one last year, I think you'd like it," he suggested.

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Alright, let's go, then."

* * *

The restaurant wasn't what Lucy was expecting, but it was still lovely all the same. It had a jungle theme to it while still managing a classy feel.

The waiter greeted Sting with a smile and recognition. Lucy supposed she was lucky that she wasn't well known and that they could go out in public before the games started. But after the games would start? She wasn't too sure.

"What happens when the games start? What if we have to fight each other?" Lucy asked him.

Sting looked up from his menu and met her brown eyes. "Then we battle fairly. I promise I won't do more than I have to, but we have to be convincing. Not only that, but I think it would be awesome to battle each other."

Lucy laughed. Sting sounded like Natsu right then. Maybe the two of them had the same opinion on fighting; Lucy just hoped that Sting didn't destroy towns wherever he went.

"What?" He asked with a smirk at her laugh.

"Nothing, nothing," she said, waving her hand in dismissal. "You just sounded like one of my guild mates right now."

Sting leaned forward, intrigued. "Oh really? Which one?"

"Natsu, you've probably heard stories about-"

Sting cut her off with a sharp laugh. "I've heard all about his adventures in Fiore. It's quite an honour to be compared to him."

Lucy smiled unabashed at his comment. She was about to ask him something but the waiter came to take their order.

"What can I get you two on this lovely evening?" He asked with a knowing look.

Lucy and Sting both ordered a pasta, and wine. Then the waiter asked a strange question.

"Say, you're Lucy Heartfilia, right? Daughter of Jude Heartfilia?"

Lucy nodded slowly, somewhat concerned about why this man was bringing up her father. Lucy wanted to forget her father, to stop mourning him. Yet, every day he made his way into her head.

"He helped my parents out when I was young. He always talked about you proudly. I never got to thank him, could you do that for me?"

Lucy sputtered, not sure what to say. She hadn't talked about her father out loud in a month. Sting looked at her in concern.

"He... He umm... He passed away a little while ago. I'm so sorry," she said to the waiter.

His face fell. "Oh. I'm sorry for bringing it up and for your loss. I'll go fill your order now."

"You okay?" Sting asked.

Lucy nodded slowly. She was having an amazing evening until her father was brought up. The mood at their table became a somber one, and Lucy was sad that it was.

They talked about random points of interest for the rest of the evening. Sting appeared to enjoy himself, Lucy did too, but it wasn't the same way he did. The conversations served as a distraction from her distress.

They finished eating and paid their bill, then left the restaurant.

"Lucy, I'm sorry that came up and that our evening wasn't that great," he apologized.

"It's okay, I was just caught off guard is all. It wasn't your fault."

"We should... We should be getting back to our guilds now. Good luck tomorrow. I normally wouldn't be saying this, but, I hope Fairy Tail makes it. Sabertooth is still going to win, though," he winked.

She giggled at his remark. "You keep thinking that. Watch out, because this year Fairy Tail will win!"

Sting felt a wave of affection and kissed her deeply, then backed up a bit.

"You're the only person that I feel like I can be myself with. Thank you for that," he said quietly.

Lucy smiled at him softly. "You should feel that way with everyone, Sting."

"Maybe someday," he replied, truly wishing he could.

In a guild like Sabertooth, that could never happen. He could be that way around Rogue, because he trusted Rogue completely. He would have told Rogue about Lucy, but he didn't want there to be any chance of his secret being revealed. He couldn't tell Lector, because Lector needed him to be strong. Sting needed to keep his promise to his exceed.

The two hugged, then left for their individual guilds that night, having no idea what was in store for them the next day.

* * *

An: I made that book name up because I wanted something really cheesy sounding. Anyways, thanks to everyone who followed this story and remember, reviews are greatly appreciated!


	3. Two Sides to One

Chapter 3: Two Sides to One

It was the day the Grand Magic Games were set to start. The guilds were told nothing of what to expect for the upcoming test, so it was an event shrouded in mystery for the aspiring wizards.

Lucy had been spending her day with Fairy Tail, now calmed down after the ordeal of the previous night. Now, she could focus on her guild and helping them win the games, something she had been planning to do from the start. She hadn't seen her spirits in two days and was starting to miss them, so she supposed it was good they had an upcoming event.

On the other hand, Sting spent his time out and about in Crocus with Rogue and their exceeds. For the most part they were out seeing what the city had to offer, because no matter how many times they had been there, it seemed there was always somewhere new to explore.

Sting had just spent the past hour in a daze looking through the market with Lector, having previously split from Rogue and Frosh. He had mostly been looking at assorted trinkets the vendors had on stock, but when he saw a necklace with a star pendant, it screamed Lucy to him. Sting made sure to distract Lector so he could buy the piece of jewelry undetected.

After he had bought the necklace he beckoned Lector over and left the market to find Rogue. They had some preparations to make before the games.

* * *

Natsu and Lucy had split off from the rest of their guild to go see Crocus again. Erza insisted she go with someone so the blonde wouldn't get 'distracted' again. Lucy was agitated that she couldn't seek out Sting again, but she supposed that hanging out with Natsu was still fun.

Crocus offered so many sights to see, that Lucy was overwhelmed. Natsu kept jumping from place to place in excitement, nothing could stop him when he found something he wanted to do. Lucy gave an exaggerated sigh for the millionth time that day as Natsu rushed over to a food stand.

"Fish!" Happy exclaimed.

 _Well at least they were happy_.

Lucy grinned in amusement as Natsu and Happy devoured their food. As they were about to leave, Natsu suddenly turned to face Lucy.

"Say, what did you buy yesterday, Lucy?" The dragon slayer asked with a mouth full of food.

Lucy was caught off guard for a moment, but realized she could say anything and Natsu would probably believe it.

"Just some feminine stuff, you know... It's nothing big," she lied.

Natsu shrugged and continued walking. The answer was good enough for him.

When the two rounded a corner, they started to hear some shouting and the general chatter of a crowd. For some reason, it sent a chill through Lucy. It reminded her of the upcoming competition and made her feel apprehensive.

"What the hell?" Natsu remarked, seeing the faint outlines of the group ahead.

As they neared the crowd, it became more clear what was going on. The crowd was watching some sort of fight. Seeing a fight in the peaceful evening somewhat annoyed Lucy; they could be doing much more productive things, or at least not be disturbing the peaceful evening.

Lucy and Natsu pushed through the crowd to see just what was going on, only for Lucy to nearly faint in surprise.

There he was, in the middle of the jeering crowd, arrogantly making remarks at the Wizards who challenged him and the dark haired man beside him. Lucy hadn't seen this side of Sting yet, and she really didn't like it. The prideful side of him showed itself minimally in the two days they had known each other. This was a level she'd never expect from him.

Apparently she had been drifting off a bit, because Natsu had yelled something, probably a challenge, and the whole crowd went silent. All eyes were directed to Natsu, _including_ Sting's.

Lucy liked the side of Natsu that challenged things that were wrong, but in this moment she didn't. Not because she was afraid of the attention, but because Sting was staring _right_ at her.

Time felt like it slowed, and Lucy tried to look away from him, to hide her apparent anxiety, but she couldn't. Luckily Natsu did it for her.

Sting turned to Natsu. "So the rumors about you entering the Grand Magic Games are true after all," he said snidely.

"How do you know who I am?" Natsu asked angrily.

"Everyone knows who you are. You're the so-called dragon slayer who couldn't actually slay a dragon. Doesn't sound like much of a dragon slayer to me." Sting said.

Natsu glared at Sting fiercely, willing himself not to attack. Lucy was in shock over what Sting was saying; 'couldn't slay a dragon', meaning Sting did? The man who was talking currently was very different from the man who she was talking to the other night. He had sounded genuinely interested in Fairy Tail, despite the laughing.

But Sting didn't stop there. "The sad part of it is, I actually used to look up to you and my friend is a big fan of Gajeel's."

Lucy had to stop herself from gasping out loud. _Used to?_ The night previous, Sting said it was an honour to be compared to Natsu. _What was he trying to do?_

The man beside Sting finally spoke. "It was more of a curiosity as he was known as a fellow dragon slayer," he rebuked.

 _Was this the friend Sting was talking about?_ They didn't look like twins, but they were obviously close to each other. She could see in their stances, the trust they held in each other. They weren't called the Twin Dragon Slayers for their appearances.

"You've got to be kidding me, you're both dragon slayers?" Natsu asked in wonder.

Sting smirked. "We would prefer that you call us true dragon slayers then, because unlike you, we could have easily slain Acnologia."

That was it. He went over the line with that comment, no matter what he had said the previous nights, that was too far. But when had he figured out what happened on Tenrou Island? The seven years they had missed costed her time with her father, with her other guild mates and experience in general. If they had saw what she'd seen, Sting would have never said that.

"Well you'd be telling a different story if you actually went up against that monster like we did!" She cried, finally speaking her mind.

"Yeah, you weren't even there!" Happy yelled in agreement.

Sting finally looked back to Lucy, looking slightly regretful. He was about to speak up, but his friend cut in.

"It doesn't matter if we were there or not," Sting's dark haired friend spoke.

Lucy glared at them both, as well as Natsu and Happy. How dare they say that, with no experience of the torture Fairy Tail went through on that island. Every bit of them was tested more than they could ever be prepared for there.

Natsu growled in anger. "Tell me something, did your guy's dragons disappear in the year x777 too?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"More to the point, they died," Rogue finished for Sting.

Natsu's eyes visibly widened. "What?"

"You heard me. And they didn't just die, we killed them ourselves. We earned the title of Dragon Slayers," the dark haired man told them coldly.

"How could you? Those were your parents!" Natsu shouted at them, fists flaming.

 _Killed them?_ Natsu always talked on and on about how Igneel raised him, taught Natsu everything about his magic. How could they kill their own parents? The exceeds were arguing, but Lucy wasn't paying them any attention. Her head was spinning, she was sure Natsu's would be too if he wasn't blinded by his own anger.

The crowd had already broken up by this point, bored by the arguing and lack of fighting. Sting was staring at Lucy again, but that only infuriated her. She didn't care to look at him, much less talk to him.

In a rare moment, Lucy grabbed Natsu by his shirt and started to drag him away.

"Hey!" He exclaimed.

"Come on Natsu, we don't have time for them," she seethed. Natsu looked caught off guard by her anger, but went along with her.

She looked back to see that Sting was still staring at her, not responding to his friend. What the hell had just happened? She hadn't even thought that side of Sting existed up until what had just transpired. Why had he been so standoffish and arrogant? It seemed like he cared nothing for the pain they went through. If he was acting it, he had done an amazing job.

"Uh, Lucy?" Natsu asked, staring down. Happy was giggling at her.

She didn't even realize that she had his arm in a death grip, and had stopped on the street.

"Luce, are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded and laughed it off. "I should be the one asking you that question."

"Yeah, they're just bastards looking for attention."

"Yeah, just bastards..." She echoed hollowly. Natsu gave her another look of concern.

Lucy stopped and looked at Natsu and Happy. "I'm going to walk for a minute to clear my mind. Meet me at the hotel."

"Aye!" Happy shouted and flew off with Natsu following.

She was finally alone, for that she was glad. But the negative thoughts kept pouring into her head. She didn't know what to do about them. Did she even want to see Sting again? She really liked him, but now she didn't know what to believe.

* * *

"Sting?" Rogue asked, pointing to the necklace hanging out of Sting's pocket.

Rogue had a mischievous look on his face. "I didn't know you had a thing for necklaces, or is that for the Lamia scale girl?"

Sting removed his gaze from where Lucy had left and stuffed the necklace back in his pocket hurriedly. Thankfully the exceeds hadn't heard him and Rogue.

"Sure," Sting said quickly, then ran off, leaving them behind in a circle of unconscious wizards.

He sniffed, trying to follow the trail of Lucy. The blonde wished she didn't happen upon himself and Rogue, but it could not be changed. She looked terribly hurt when he mentioned Acnologia and he wanted to fix it. Most of what he said was bravado, to keep up the Sabertooth name and his image. But it was true, he and Rogue had killed their dragons. That fact could never change, even if he didn't remember much from that event.

Sting wondered around, looking for her and almost hoping she had returned to her hotel; for her sake. It was nighttime now, he realized, looking up at the sky and seeing the stars and moon. It was harder to see, but he still saw her.

There she was, curled up on herself against a wall, and it was his fault.

"Lucy!"

She looked up at him and her face became clouded in anger.

He walked closer to the Celestial Mage cautiously, hoping she wasn't as pissed off as to lash out.

"Look Lucy, I didn't mean that, it was-"

"Then why would you say it!" She snapped.

Sting was taken aback momentarily, then regained his composure.

"Look, in Sabertooth, a certain sort of attitude is expected in the guild and... I just don't..." He fumbled for the right words as Lucy's face became increasingly angry.

"That still doesn't mean you had to say what you did! All you had to do was show off!"

Sting shifted around where he was standing, not wanting to mess up his chance with her. "Lucy I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been doing that in the first place, but with Sabertooth, it's just the way we're supposed to be I guess. And those guys were asking for a beating too."

Lucy put her head back in her arms. "Go away Sting. I don't want to talk about this tonight, I have to get back to Fairy Tail right now, not that you care."

Sting played around with the necklace in his pocket, wanting to give it to her. However, he knew it was inappropriate timing. He turned his back on her and walked away knowing he had messed up.

* * *

Lucy had rushed back to the hotel after her conversation with Sting. He had managed to make her sad, and wanted to accept his apology- even if it was a crappy one, but she was too conflicted at the moment. She wanted to stay true to Fairy Tail, to not hide this behind their backs anymore. At least, not after the run in she had with Sting and his friend.

If Natsu ever found out about the relationship she was hiding from Fairy Tail, he would be incredibly angry with her. She was surprised that Natsu didn't immediately attack them after the comment made about killing their dragons. It must have been the competition rules holding him back.

When she got back to the hotel Erza scolded her, Natsu and Gray for being late. It was nothing new, but at least it beat what previously , the announcer came on for the Grand Magic Games. Lucy wasn't even dressed, and they had to go out in the maze and face every other aspiring guild.

 _It was going to be a long night._

* * *

An: I don't know if you guys like long chapters or shorter ones, tell me your preference! Also, reviews are greatly appreciated!


	4. Frustration

The Sky Labyrinth was terrifying to Lucy. There was endless directions to go, and guilds were fighting each other. The worst part, was that Wendy was missing, and it made Lucy extremely anxious.

"We gotta get there an'beat those Sabertooth bastards to a pulp!" Natsu exclaimed.

Lucy tensed, the memory of their verbal fight with Sting and his friend was still very fresh in her mind. Gray noticed Lucy tense up, but he did not say anything. They had told the ice wizard about what happened, so that's what he assumed Lucy was upset about.

Lucy wanted to sigh, but she decided against it. If she showed so much as a symptom of how she felt, it would appear suspicious. Alone time was what she needed at the moment, but the only way that was possible was by winning. Losing against the other guilds was not an option; she wanted to show Sting how strong Fairy Tail could be.

"Open, Gate of the Compass, Pyxis!"

Out rushed Pyxis from her key. She felt a wave of joy at finally getting to see one of her spirits. The last time she summoned one of them was three days ago, and she was really starting to miss them.

"Alright Pyxis, which way is East?"

Pyxis eagerly pointing in the direction of east, but nobody else on her team was saying anything. Lucy looked behind her and realized that Erza was holding a perfectly functioning compass.  
Pyxis was immediately saddened and Lucy realized that she wasn't actually needed at the moment.

"Good job Pyxis..." Lucy said awkwardly as her spirit returned.

"Now let's head East!" Natsu exclaimed.

Heading east didn't work out well for them. The group continually hit dead ends, and had no idea where to go.

"Maybe we should try heading a different direction for a while," Elfman suggested.

Erza shook her head. "It has to be around somewhere, it is called a labyrinth, after all."

"Maybe we should head back and try a new way east," Lucy added.

"That's a good idea, Lucy. Let's-"

"I told you, this isn't the proper way! I saw Fairy Tail come this direction!"

The Fairy Tail group all turned to the direction of the voice and Lucy tensed up again. _She knew that voice well._ Why did it always have to be Sabertooth that they ran into? There, in the distance, stood Sting. He was the lead in the Sabertooth team, and he wasn't showing any signs of weakness.

Sting started walking quickly, closing in on the Fairy Tail team that was trapped in a dead end. "So we meet again," he spoke loudly.

Natsu's fist started to flame. "You bastards! Now we can finally fight you!"

Lucy wanted nothing more than a direct exit from the situation. Never had something felt as tense as their current predicament; it was something that could be snapped by a simple word. The other members of Sabertooth looked ready to attack if they were to receive one simple command from Sting. Gray and Erza shifted into offensive position, waiting on who would make the first move. Lucy subconsciously took a step backwards, not wanting to fight them.

Sting met her eyes, and his facial expression softened subtly. "Not so fast, Natsu. I have a proposition."

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" Gray questioned Sting skeptically.

"Both of our teams walk free, no combat, but you have to give us everything you've written down about this labyrinth."

The woman beside Sting looked at him in surprise, and the rest of his team dropped their offensive positions in confusion.

Sting's friend's face twisted up in bewilderment. "Sting, I thought-"

Sting held up a hand to his friend to silence him.

"No way in hell!" Natsu yelled in response.

"Natsu, wait. We're not ready to do combat right now. Think about it! They know everything about us and we know nothing of them. They have the advantage," Lucy spoke. She hoped that Natsu would listen to her logic rather than his anger.

"Lucy are you sure about this?" Erza asked quietly, so that the other team could not hear.

"Yes, besides, we've found nothing that they can use."

Erza gave a nod of confirmation and Lucy walked over to the Sabertooth group cautiously. Natsu looked infuriated, but Lucy kept going. She took the papers out of her pocket and looked up to Sting who had his hand outstretched, ready to revive the maps.

Lucy looked into his eyes again, and was met with regret. She wanted to talk to him, to hear more about what he had to say, but she couldn't. She wished she had listened to him earlier instead of telling him to go away, but she could not reverse her choice.

As she was about to hand him the papers, the labyrinth started to shift.

"What the hell is happening?" A muscled man from Sabertooth asked.

Stairways were shifting, turning upside down, moving in opposite directions. The Sabertooth team members managed to hold onto something, as well as the Fairy Tail members- minus Lucy.

"Lucy!" Natsu called out.

She was falling now, and fast. It would be a short trip to the ground from the maze. It wasn't the way she wanted to leave the games or lose for Fairy Tail, it scared her.

Sting started running, then jumped. He propelled through the air and caught Lucy in his arms. The two landed roughly, rolling onto a pathway just a bit away from their respective teams. Both Lucy and Sting had cuts covering them from their rough landing, but they were fine overall.

Lucy was trying to reel in her head. She was falling, and Sting had just jumped through the air to save her. He could have let her fall, and Fairy Tail would have been eliminated, yet there he was, helping her up from the ground. The celestial wizard looked to the other teams and saw surprise clearly written on their faces.

She looked back to Sting, who had a devious look on his face. "I'm sorry about this Lucy," he told her, then looked to his team. "Yukino, now!"

"Right!" She said, taking a key out.

So she was the celestial wizard Sting told her about. Lucy was amazed when Yukino brandished a Zodiac key and summoned Libra.

"Libra, gravity change!" She commanded.

Her spirit nodded, and next Lucy knew, she was pinned to the ground.

Sting kneeled down beside her. "Nothing personal, but we had an agreement," he said, then took the papers from her hand.

As he walked off, Lucy could hear her guild members struggling to get up from the ground. Natsu sounded especially upset. Lucy was still stunned from almost falling, so she tried to regain her composure and failed. Her day kept getting worse and worse as it dragged on. Of course, she was thankful Sting rescued her from falling, but it didn't erase the biting feel of failure. She had almost lost it for her entire team.

Apparently they could get up again, because Gray tapped her on the head. She rapidly blinked, trying to get the tears of frustration out of her eyes.

"Lucy, it's alright. We'll do what you said and head back then go east. It's not your fault that happened." Gray comforted, then held out his hand.

"Yeah, we'll get back at them later! Let's go win!" Natsu said.

Lucy smiled. She loved her friends with all her heart, and this was one of those moments that affirmed her love for them.

A fight with Twilight Ogre and several decisions finally lead them to the doors of the Grand Magic Games. Despite everything that happened to them in the labyrinth, they made it. Lucy was exhausted now, but it was _completely_ worth it. They'd made it.

"We made it, first place!" Natsu said.

The announcer looked at them in protest. "Actually, your team came in eighth place."

The giddy looks on their faces fell, but at least they made it, even if they had a few close calls along the way.

* * *

It was 3 AM, but they were finally back. Lisanna and Happy had found Wendy while they were out, causing Lucy to feel more relaxed. Wendy wasn't conscious, but at least they found the young dragon slayer.

Lucy went to visit Wendy in the infirmary for a while, then she went straight to her bed. She was more than drained from their busy day and felt she deserved some hard earned rest. Only, she couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned, tried every trick in the book, but nothing worked. She swore it was five in the morning, because she could see the light from the sunrise outside. She had enough of trying to fall asleep and got up from her bed.

She looked around the room and saw Gray's bed was empty. _When had he gotten up?_ The balcony door was open, so he must have been outside.

Lucy walked onto the cold balcony wearing her pajamas. There was an excellent view of the sunset rising over the city, but she was too tired to appreciate it. Then, she spotted Gray. He was sitting up against the wall, lost in thought.

"Gray?" Lucy questioned.

"Lucy? What are you doing up?"

"I was going to ask the same," She said.

"Sometimes I get nightmares," he shrugged.

Lucy nearly gasped. "About Deliorah?"

"Yeah..." Gray said, not wanting to elaborate. "So what are you doing up?"

"I couldn't fall asleep."

Gray looked concerned. "I wanted to ask, are you alright? During the labyrinth you seemed a bit off. Is something bothering you?"

Lucy shook her head. "I was just upset that I almost let you guys and Fairy Tail down. But we're all here, right?"

Gray nodded and the two watched the sunrise for a tiny bit before heading inside, both hoping they'd be able to fall asleep.

* * *

Although Lucy had only gotten a few hours of sleep, she felt ready. The booming cheers of the crowd outside boosted her energy and she felt excited. This was it, the start to a competition that would be difficult, but also allow them to prove themselves. Their team was doing this for their guild members who were left behind, and they wouldn't forget their purpose.

Elfman help up Wendy's outfit and complained about not fitting into it. Lucy smiled in amusement. They argued about their clothing for a few minutes until the announcer came on.

"Fairy Tail!" He introduced.

They walked out of the hall together, making sure they entered with determined looks on their faces. Only, they weren't prepared for the booing of the crowd. _What had they done to deserve it?_

"What the heck is this?" Lucy asked.

They looked around in surprise at the booing, but they didn't lose their pride. They would prove everyone wrong, not matter what was going to happen.

Erza patted Lucy on the back. "Don't let it get you down. As long as we have the support of our comrades, we can do this."

"Right," Lucy said, looking up with a smile on her face.

Then the other guilds were introduced, and finally Sabertooth. They were welcomed with an insane amount of cheering, clearly meaning they were a favourite among the crowd.

Sabertooth came out looking proud and confident with Sting at the front of them. She was seeing him for the first time that day, and already he had managed to anger her. It wasn't necessarily his fault, she was more jealous that the crowd cheered for him and his guild.

He made eye contact with her and winked. She almost blushed, but if anyone noticed, she'd be die from the embarrassment, so she turned away from him and back to her guild.

The announcer went through the rules of the games and the matches coming up. Apparently she and Gray were slotted to compete that day. She couldn't believe she was facing the girl who eyed her creepily from Raven Tail.

* * *

Lucy's match was starting. She traded off with the Black haired man who had just lost. Sting liked the look on her face, and apparently the announcers did too. She looked nothing but determined, like she was ready to wipe the floor with Raven Tail.

At first, Lucy appeared to be holding herself well against Flare, but it had taken a turn when Flare had Lucy held in the air. Lucy wasn't even struggling against her binds, instead she was crying out, begging Flare to not brand her.

Sting was confused. _Why wasn't she fighting?_ Was there something he wasn't getting?

It was weird to see his guild mates yawning at the battle, while he was so invested. That morning they had confronted him about sparing Fairy Tail in the labyrinth. His answer was that he wanted to face Natsu properly, in front of everyone. But that was only a half truth. Honestly, he didn't want Lucy's guild to be eliminated or for her to be hurt.

Sting watched as Lucy suddenly broke free and summed her spirit Gemini. He watched in amazement as she was casting some sort of spell; it was incredibly powerful. The entire arena was lit up by stars and everyone could feel the magical pressure.

Now his guild mates were paying attention.

But her magic failed. _Why?_ She seemed so sure when she was casting it, but it just stopped. Flare was declared winner, and Lucy fell to the ground in exhaustion.

 _Had that actually just happened?_

Lucy was curled up on herself, crying. Sting couldn't believe how quickly the event turned on her, it was like she was about to pull the finishing move, and then gave up.

Something clearly wasn't right. Natsu went down to help Lucy up and give her a speech, making Sting wish he could help her. He wondered if she would even allow him after the previous day. _Was she still angry at him?_

Sting left Sabertooth's view of the games intent on finding Lucy. He wasn't going to take no for an answer.

* * *

An: I'm in my final year of high school, and so far I've been lucky and haven't gotten much homework. That could change and if it does, I'm sorry that the updates will be further apart. I also have to re-watch some of the Grand Magic Games episodes because the last time I watched them was in February ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Also, sorry for the lack of dialog in this chapter.


	5. Hoping and Dreading

Lucy sat down against a rock in the park. It had been hours since she lost her match against Flare, but she was still completely drained. The park she was at was one close to Fairy Tail's hotel because she was too tired to go any farther.

Finally she could mull over her thoughts without being disrupted. She wondered about Raven Tail and how it was fair that they had one, even though she was seconds from emerging victorious. She and Gray would have won that day if it wasn't for Raven Tail. She knew she should have seen it coming from them, yet they managed to surprise her anyways.

And what about Sting? He kissed her, insulted her, saved her, then winked at her. He made no sense to Lucy; he was an enigma. One moment he was prideful and arrogant, then the next he was caring and curious about her guild. She wanted to see him again, to get a better understanding of what had happened the previous evening.

Lucy heard the crunching of grass being walked on and turned her head quickly. There he was again, just when she was thinking about him.

"Lucy, we need to talk," he said calmly.

"That's one way to put it," she snapped, turning her head back to face the park. Sting slowly walked closer to her, hoping she was in a forgiving mood.

"Look, what I said yesterday... I had no right to say it. I don't know why I did. To be frank, it was arrogance and bitterness speaking. I know that I can't take back what I said, but I was hoping we could have another chance."

Lucy looked back to him. He was standing there, looking regretful and slightly dishevelled. Had he tracked her down through Crocus?

"Yes, you can have another chance," she answered finally.

He grinned and sat down beside her. He didn't say anything for a while, instead they stayed in silence with each other. It was the comfortable kind of quiet, the one where two people could stay in each other's presence and understand silence was wanted.

They sat and relaxed for what felt like an hour, but in reality was only half and hour before Sting broke the silence.

"Lucy."

She hummed in reply.

Beside her, Sting fumbled around for something in his pocket. "Damn it!" He finally exclaimed, giving up his search.

"What is it?" Lucy asked in concern.

"I.. Ah. I forgot something valuable, can you come with me to the Sabertooth inn?"

Lucy looked at him as if he was insane. "In case you forgot, I'm part of Fairy Tail. I don't think your guild would like me very much."

"I know, which is why you're not going to go inside," he told her.

He stood up and held his hand. Lucy stared at it, then decided going with him was much better than moping around. She put her hand in his, and he helped her up from their secluded spot.

"Sabertooth isn't that far from here, so don't worry about being tired."

She nodded in thanks and began walking with Sting through the streets of Crocus. Lucy made sure to keep her hood up so nobody would recognize her, she didn't need attention after her match that day. It was unlikely anyone would recognize her at that hour of the night, what with the poor lighting, but it was still better to be safe rather than sorry.

Lucy observed the beautiful flora of Crocus and almost wished she lived in the vibrant city, but she wouldn't trade anything for being in Fairy Tail.

Lucy and Sting turned the corner to the other street and saw two men walking.

"Did you catch the games today?" One asked. They clearly weren't making an effort to be quiet.

"Yeah I did. Can you believe Fairy Tail even made it? And they filled up all of the last place spots!" The other man replied.

Lucy clenched her fists, but didn't say anything. Sting put his arm on her shoulder and started walking faster.

But it wasn't fast enough to block out the conversation. "That blonde chick was powerful, but she just lost it."

"I think she was just showing off for her guild."

Lucy sighed. Fairy Tail had a lot to prove, and apparently she had even more to prove.

"Lucy, I wanted to ask. What happened today during your match? You were about to win," Sting said.

Lucy looked down to the ground, trying to hide her bitterness."Same thing that happened to Gray, Raven Tail. They're messing with us for some sort of revenge plot against our master."

"Oh. I saw what happened to Gray, but I didn't know they messed with your match. I'm proud of you either way," He grinned.

Lucy tried to fight down a large smile, but to no avail. "Thank you."

"We're almost at Sabertooth by the way. It's night so everyone should be asleep, just stay outside for a moment and you'll be fine."

"Alright, but what did you forget?" She asked.

Sting turned to face her and winked. "It's a surprise."

Lucy huffed, then waited by the doors of the inn.

* * *

"So, Sting, same girl?" Rogue asked, the second Sting stepped inside.

"Yes, and I'm just back to get something."

"Our master is very angry at you, I hope you know what. Lector and Frosh have been asking about you, are you sure this is the best time to get in a relationship?"

Sting glared at Rogue. "You know me, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't find it worthwhile."

"Then why are you hiding who she is?" Rogue questioned suspiciously.

Sting stood still, trying to come up with a viable lie. "You'd be angry if you knew, or if anyone else knew."

Rogue crossed his arms. "Sting, I've been your friend for all these years, why would I be angry?"

"She doesn't want anyone to know, alright," he said angrily, but then his tone softened. "Now I have to go get something and leave."

"Is it that necklace?" Rogue asked as Sting was part way up the stairs.

Sting cursed. "Yes, now please stop asking questions. I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Rogue decided that was as much as he was going to get out of Sting for the moment. The dragon slayer was an observant man, and while it may have flown over anyone else's head, he had caught on. The way Sting stared at her when Natsu confronted them, why he saved her and how intensely he was paying attention to her match. At first Rogue couldn't believe it himself, but after seeing her determined spirit during her match, he knew why Sting liked her. He just wished Sting would admit it.

Rogue watched Sting leave the inn doors with a touch of sadness. He knew nothing good would come of their relationship in the end. They were from two guilds that were polar opposites; they were _bound_ to clash at some point, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

* * *

Lucy pushed herself off the wall when Sting came out the doors. She was still very tired from her battle, but she loved spending time with him so it was worth it.

"So, what did you get?" She asked curiously.

"Come with me and I'll show you."

They walked for a while more and talked about random points of interest such as books, magic and friends. It was neat to get to know somebody who lead such a different life than she did. Somehow it shifted to the topic of their childhoods, both were unpleasant.

"Your father really did that?" He said, shocked.

"Yeah. He only ever cared about money for the longest time, but he changed and I should have spent more time with him. I was still so upset at him that I never properly said goodbye," Lucy said.

"I'm sorry to hear that, and you deserved better."

Lucy shrugged. "What's done is done. The past made me who I am right now, and I'm happy with the way things are."

Lucy was starting to get tired by this point, but she didn't want to leave Sting just yet. She desperately wanted to know what his 'surprise' was.

As they walked, Lucy realized that this path lead to the lookout where they first met each other. She almost laughed, because it was like she was in one of those cheesy romance novels currently.

"Okay, is this the surprise?" She asked.

Sting snorted. "No, not really." Instead, he dug around in his pocket and took out a golden chain. He handed it to Lucy, who had a giddy look on her face.

She looked over the necklace that was now in her hands. It was pendant that was a star. The star had multiple gemstones on it and was very beautiful.

"I saw it in the market yesterday, and it reminded me of-"

He was cut off from saying anything more by Lucy nearly tackling him in a hug.

"I love it," she said.

"Good, because I don't know what I would do with it if you didn't."

She laughed and let go of him, then sat down on the bench. He joined her, and watched her stare at the half moon.

"Do you get the feeling something bad is going to happen while we're here?" She asked suddenly.

"No, we'll be fine as long as we keep this a secret."

"I meant about the games, I feel like something bad is going to happen. Maybe it's just Raven Tail giving me that feeling, but I don't know."

"I don't feel like anything is going to happen, but if anything does, I'm sure we'll be fine," he comforted.

"I hope so," she said absently, hoping _desperately_ that Sting was right.

* * *

An: Sorry, I would have posted this sooner but sometimes I get pain in my shoulder that's so bad that it makes me cry. It's just really difficult to write when I'm in pain, and it's even worse because I want to write. Probably not my best, but I'll fix it up later. ; ) Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	6. Last of the Light

Lucy had stayed out much later than she had planned with Sting. Lucky for her, there was a one day break between each event. If there wasn't, she would have struggled to wake up. Different from the past two days, Lucy woke up with a big smile and a jump to her step. She hadn't slept that well in forever and it felt amazing. Lucy had no clue what time it was, she guessed it was around noon, but she didn't care. She got up carefree and took a shower, feeling especially happy when she put on her necklace.

As she walked down the stairs to where Fairy Tail was hanging out, people joked about how much she could sleep, but she was unbothered.

"Where were you last night?" Levy asked with a 'knowing' smile. "I hope you weren't caught up in a novel again."

Lucy laughed. "My bad. It's a great way to keep my mind off things though."

"Lucy!" She heard Natsu yell. She looked behind her to see Gray and Natsu walk over to her.

"You missed a great celebration last night!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Celebration? We're in last place."

"So? We can still celebrate," Gray argued.

Lucy looked at them like they were crazy. She supposed she should be used to this sort of behaviour after all her time in Fairy Tail, but sometimes they still surprised her.

"Then what happened last night?" She asked curiously.

"Cana got really drunk!" Happy shouted.

Lucy crossed her arms. "Besides the obvious."

"I don't know Lucy, we all just accepted our defeat and had a good time," Gray shrugged.

Lucy shook her head at the two, who had now resumed fighting and sat down at a table with Erza and Juvia.

"Hey guys, how's your morning been?"

Both replied with an answer that more or less meant alright, which Lucy supposed was what she would feel like after the losses Fairy Tail just had.

"When did you get that necklace? I've never seen you wear it before, it's very pretty," Erza complemented.

Lucy willed her face not to heat up. "I found it while I was out the other day, I really liked it so I bought it," _She was starting to get better at lying_.

"It's a great choice Lucy. Juvia thinks it suits you."

Lucy looked down at her necklace, then back to them. "Thanks, you guys. So what are you planning to do today?"

"Juvia thinks she'll go somewhere with Gray and have a nice break," Juvia told Lucy, then immediately got lost in her imagination.

"Alright.. What about you Erza?"

Erza stood up proudly. "I'm going to go shopping for more outfits today. Would you like to come with me?"

Shopping with Erza was hell, Lucy had found out. The last time they went shopping together, Erza had forced Lucy to try on every single outfit Erza liked. Suffice to say, it was not a fun experience for Lucy.

"Um, I think I'll pass on that today, but thanks Erza."

"Suit yourself," Erza in a tone that suggested Lucy would be missing out.

"I'll see you guys around then," Lucy waved.

She hoped that nobody around the guild saw her leave the inn, because the last thing she needed was for one of them to follow her or get suspicious. Sting told Lucy that if she was up to it, she should meet him at a near the market. And she was definitely feeling up to it, considering how well she woke up.

* * *

"You're leaving again?" Lector asked looking rather downcast.

Sting nodded, feeling sorry her couldn't tell the exceed what was happening. "I'll be back this evening, don't worry Lector."

"You're not going to practice for the games?"

Sting shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll prove it to you tomorrow. Now like I said, I'll be back in the evening- oh, and if Rogue is wondering where I am, tell him it can wait 'til later."

"Alright Sting..." Lector looked concerned as he walked off and Sting felt bad that he made Lector feel that way. _His relationship with Lucy demanded a lot from his life._

* * *

It was a beautiful summer day at the park. Kids ran everywhere and the green leaves on the trees rustled in the gentle breeze. A totally picturesque day. There were flowers everywhere she looked, meaning the city totally lived up to its nickname.

"Lucy!" She looked to her side and saw Sting walking up to her. She could have sworn her heart skipped a beat when she saw him.

"How has your day been so far?" He asked, starting to walk with her.

"Uneventful, but nice. I haven't been up for too long. What do you want to do today?"

"I was thinking that I'm missing some practice time with Rogue, so I think that we should practice together. Are you still tired?"

Lucy nodded. "As energetic as ever. Where would we practice?"

"I know a spot," he said, winking.

It was a dusty sort of break in nature in a residential area that was mostly devoid of people. They were sure they could practice their magic in peace without worry. Lucy assumed that most people must have been in the center of the city where all the celebrations were going on.

"So what do you want to start with?" Sting asked.

"Self defense," Lucy stated.

Sting gaped at her. "Huh? Aren't we supposed to practice magic?"

"In the match yesterday self-defense would have came in handy."

"Alright, but I can't say I'd be the best instructor," Sting said, then shifted into a defensive position.

 _Well this was going to be interesting._

"First off, make sure your feet are in the correct positioning so that your opponent can't stagger you or cause you to lose your lead."

Lucy tried to copy the position his legs were at, but when Sting tried to push her, she didn't hold up.

"Make sure your one foot it pivoted more so that you have a steady position," He instructed.

Lucy nodded, and moved her foot. "Try now."

Sting was about to push her again, but stopped when Lucy suddenly looked behind him. She had heard it before he had: the familiar sound of ice magic being formed.

"Gray wait!" Lucy shouted.

How? Just _how_ was her luck this bad? Sting had picked such a secluded part of the city, yet somehow Gray had still found them. Lucy didn't even know what to say. At this point, after all the lies, she knew it was high time someone found out. She just didn't expect it to be this way. The question was, should she make up another lie, or come clean? Gray was a great friend, but she was unsure of how he'd react.

"Why should I do that?" He demanded.

"Seriously Gray, why would I be asking you to stop if I didn't mean it?" She asked.

"You just came at the wrong time, I was teaching her," Sting added.

Gray glared at Sting, but then looked to Lucy for confirmation. "It's true, I asked him."

Gray looked at Lucy in surprise, then with anger. "Lucy, what are you even doing with him? He's Sabertooth."

Lucy knew their two guilds didn't like each other, but sometimes it was ridiculous. They were still individual people, no matter what guild they belonged to. Lucy guessed it was time to tell someone, or else Gray might just end Sting on the spot.

"Gray, first you have to promise you won't tell _anyone_ else."

Gray looked from Lucy to Sting, then back and narrowed his eyes. "Alright, I won't..."

"The reason I'm with Sting is because we met two days before the Grand Magic Games started. At first we didn't even know each other's guilds. And umm..." Lucy trailed off.

Sting sighed and crossed his arms. "We're in a relationship and Lucy has too keep lying about it to you Fairies."

Lucy winced. That was the blunt version, but it go the message across clearly to Gray.

He nearly sputtered. "You what?! So that's where you were when you were 'lost in your book'!"

"That's all you have to say?" Lucy marveled.

"No, it's just a lot to take in. It kinda makes sense in a way too, you know? No wonder he saved you in the labyrinth."

"So you're okay with us?" Lucy questioned tentatively.

"I don't know... I don't know _him_ ," Gray nodded towards Sting. "But I know you, and I know you wouldn't be with him if you didn't see anything worthwhile."

Lucy knew that was the best she'd get from Gray at the time. She was actually surprised that he was not angry about Sting being from Sabertooth, but then she thought about Juvia and Gajeel, who had redeemed themselves after being in a dark guild. Maybe Gray thought that way too.

"So why are you even here in this part of Crocus?" Sting asked Gray.

"Juvia dragged me along with her to go to a restaurant, but her and Lyon started a fight and I left to somewhere peaceful."

Lucy stifled a laugh. _That was exactly the kind of thing she could expect to hear from Gray_. Gray looked at her with disdain, but didn't say anything about her laughter.

"Lucy, I think we should go back to the guild. Gramps was talking about something he wanted the guild to do collectively this evening."

Lucy looked to Sting, who nodded. "I have to train with Rogue this evening anyways. I'll see you around Lucy.. And Gray."

Lucy waved goodbye, wishing she could have spent more time with Sting before the next event, but she had a responsibility to her guild and she'd be _damned_ if she did not follow through her responsibilities.

"Sabertooth?" Gray repeated out loud as they were walking back.

"Yes, Gray. They've said some messed up things, but Sting is trying. He's actually quite nice and interesting."

"Sorry, I was more curious than anything," Gray shrugged.

Lucy smiled a bit. "It's okay, but please don't tell anyone. Nobody can know about it."

"Alright, your secret is safe with me."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. With Gray knowing, maybe it would not be as difficult to lie anymore, and maybe things would get easier. Yet, with the Grand Magic Games still in action, she had no idea how anything would turn out.

* * *

An: idk about you guys, but I really like the friendships Mashima has set up with all the characters, but especially Lucy/Gray, Rogue/Sting and Lucy/Levy. Sorry there wasn't much exciting this chapter, things will change soon ; )

Also, thanks for reviewing. You guys have no idea how happy your reviews make me.


	7. What I've Told You

Bright and early, the Fairy Tail guild was up and prepared to cheer on their guild mates for the events coming up in the day. Lucy was woken up roughly by Natsu who was extremely excited to compete.

"Fairy Tail is going to kick ass!" He exclaimed while Lucy took a mouthful of breakfast. She nodded absently, knowing who was going to compete that day. Gray stared at her and Lucy wished that he would at least do it inconspicuously. She was glad someone knew, but it also felt like her secret was closer to being revealed.

"Good luck today!" Lucy said to Natsu.

"Watch it Salamander, you have me to worry about today," Gajeel told Natsu mischievously.

Natsu mock glared at the Iron dragon slayer, but was too pre-occupied with eating his food to do anything.

"So Lucy, what do you think is going to happen today?" Gray asked her quietly.

"I don't know. I just hope that everyone will be okay," she admitted. That was only part of what she was feeling. Truthfully, she felt deeply conflicted. Gray nodded, at least it was enough of an answer for him.

* * *

Natsu and Gajeel were separated from everyone else because they had to leave for the chariots. Lucy was feeling good about the upcoming match. She wanted Fairy Tail to win, of course, but she also cared what happened to Sting. Either way, as long as Fairy Tail won and Sting was fine, she would be happy.

As the announcer went through explaining the rules, Lucy and everyone else in their box groaned. _It was a race_. Of course it was a race! And just their luck, they had two dragon slayers competing. They full well knew who would not be winning this event. Lucy wondered if Sting suffered from motion sickness as well.

As the screen came on, showing the competitors, Lucy felt slightly disappointed that Fairy Tail would not be able to win. Natsu totally could have won if it were not for his ailment.

As to be expected, Natsu and Gajeel immediately feel behind. It was not a surprise when Sting could not race either. It was a race between all the other guilds, Fairy Tail was no longer a threat. The cameras were focused on the guilds that were in the lead for a long time, finally cutting back to the dragon slayers after every other guild had passed the finish line.

Natsu, Gajeel and Sting were all glaring at each other... competing for the next spot? It was possible Natsu could still get their team more points if he continued on.

"Lame... You're totally serious even though you can't draw on any power." Sting's voice echoed through the stadium.

But Natsu and Gajeel weren't discouraged by Sting's words.

"Go ahead, I'll give this match to you. After this one, we're gonna keep winning anyway. We're not going to miss one or two points." Sting said arrogantly.

Gray looked at Lucy oddly, wondering why she would be in a relationship with that man. Lucy would have agreed with Gray if she did not know Sting better. Anger stirred up in her at Sting's comment, though she guessed it was because of his attitude. _How could he just give up_?

"Don't cry about that one point later, kid," Gajeel rebuked.

Sting glared at Gajeel for giving him advice, then became curious. "Would you answer me one thing? Why did you decide to participate in the tournament? I wouldn't believe you were the same Fairy Tail from back in the day. Are you worried about the strength of your guild? About your public image?" Sting asked, then continued on.

"The fairy tail I know... They were more.. They did everything at their own pace. They didn't give a damn about what people thought of them."

 _So this is why Sting kept asking her about Fairy Tail_. he must have looked up to them at some point- and every other comment he made about them made sense now. Did he hate how weak Fairy Tail got to be after seven years? Lucy was upset about the comment he made about their public image, about their power presumably. That was _not_ the reason why they came there, it was to show that they were still Fairy Tail.

"For our friends. Seven years- all that time, they were waitin' for us. No matter how painful it was, no matter how sad, even if people made fun of 'em they held on. They protected the guild for their friends. And now we're going to show everyone the proof that Fairy Tail's been walking on all this time! So keep on goin'!" Natsu answered.

The entire time Natsu talked, the crowd held onto his every word and cheered. They could hear the passion in his voice, the conviction. Lucy was glad that people were suddenly cheering for Fairy Tail and that Natsu had just scored their team their first points. Then she looked to Sting, who left the event bitterly. What was up with him?

Lucy slipped out of their box, excusing herself to Erza by saying that she needed to visit Natsu and go to the bathroom.

* * *

Sting wondered the halls of the arena absently, thinking over Natsu's speech. It was nearly a repetition of what Lucy had told him. He was glad that the old Fairy Tail was still kicking around, but was it truly all about their other guild members? In Sabertooth, that would be unheard of.

He continued to walk absently, occasionally passing another wizard and not paying them mind. That was, until he saw Lucy.

"Sting, what the hell?" She asked, skipping a greeting.

"What?"

"How could you just give up like that? Those points may count towards the end!" She blurted.

Sting crossed his arms. "We'll win no matter what. Anyways, I don't think it would be fair to take the victory away from Natsu after the speech he made. Look at the attention it got you guys."

Lucy sighed. How could he not care about his guild like that?

"How are you feeling? Natsu is out in the infirmary right now."

Admittedly, he felt fine now. He did not put the same amount of effort into crossing the finish line, so it was to be expected. "I'm feeling fine. I'm slightly disappointed that I didn't get to face you guys in battle today, but fine," he told her.

The announcer interrupted their conversation by saying the next match would be up in five minutes.

"We have to get back now, don't we?" Lucy asked.

Sting nodded, and they turned their separate ways. Then Sting remembered something.

"Lucy wait!" He said, grabbing onto her arm.

She looked back to him in question.

"I'm sorry about some things I've said about Fairy Tail, I've been really confused about you guys since you all came back."

"It's okay. I can understand, especially after missing seven years," she said, then hugged him.

"Sting?" An innocent voice asked.

 _Oh no._ Now Frosh knew, meaning Rogue would soon know too. Sting jumped away from Lucy in a vain attempt to pretend they were not together.

Though, Frosh did not seem to care at all. Instead, the exceed stared at them happily.

"Sting, Lector went looking for you," Frosh said absently.

"And does Rogue know you're here?" Sting asked. There was a pretty good chance that Frosh was lost right now.

Frosh shook his head. Yep, definitely lost.

Lucy looked at Sting, visibly questioning him.

"Frosh gets lost easily, and Lector is probably looking for me in all the wrong places." Sting answered.

"Are you going to look for him?"

"Yes, I think you should come with me too. I can't take lying to him anymore, and now that Frosh knows, Rogue will too," he explained.

"It's okay for Rogue to know?" Lucy asked.

"He's been my friend for a long time now, I trust him completely. So yes."

Lucy relaxed her posture and began to follow Sting, who was now carrying Frosh.

The crowd outside was now cheering for the two competitors Raven Tail and Quatro Cerberus. Sting did not have much interest in the match, and finding Lector was more important. However, he knew his guild would get suspicious when he did not return to watch the competition. Maybe, just maybe they would write it off as him being disappointed in himself, but they knew him too well.

He looked at Lucy who was lagging behind, clearly curious to what was going on outside. Maybe she was wondering about Raven Tail; after what they did to her, he would be too.

Lector had to be around somewhere, Sting tried smelling for him, which yielded no results. So where the hell could he be? The stone hallways of the arena seemed never ending and eerily quest compared to the noise outside. Lector must have gone where Sting first left the event earlier, it was the only place left.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Lucy asked, noticing the hallways were getting darker now.

"Yes. This is the only place left that Lector could possibly be," Sting explained. In all actuality, he did not know where they were, or if it was even the right way at all, but maybe Lector got lost down that way too.

They entered a doorway that looked like it hadn't been used in a while.

"I don't think we're supposed to be here," Lucy protested

Sting shrugged. He was curious now.

As they continued moving farther and farther down, Sting knew this was not the right way, but curiosity got the best of him. On the dimly lit walls were murals of people and magic- it was very out of place for an arena.

Lucy jumped when a rat ran past her. "Um Sting? I don't think this is the right way..."

"Fro thinks so too!" The exceed agreed, starting to fidgeting in Sting's arms.

"I don't think it is either, but look at this all. Where the hell does it lead to?" He asked.

Lucy stopped and stared at a mural on the stone wall. It was difficult to make out what it was depicting, yet she kept studying it. Suddenly she gasped, loudly too. Sting nearly jumped.

"What?" He asked, coming to stand beside her.

"Is that a dragon?" She asked.

It was, that was certainly a dragon and a wizard on the wall. A better question was _how_ and _why_? Aside from dragon slayers and very few other people alive, nobody had seen a dragon. How old was this drawing?

"Lucy, do you know anything about this arena? Just how old is it?" He asked in astonishment.

She kept staring at the mural while shaking her head. "I love to read, but I've never come across anything about this arena. I don't think we should be here anymore, I don't like the feeling I'm getting."

Sting agreed, because looking down the hallway in front of them was very daunting and Frosh kept squirming in his arms. He did not want to let the exceed go because he may run off and get lost, and this was one of the worst places to get lost.

"We should investigate this later. For now, we need to find Lector," Sting told her, turning around.

* * *

They were finally at a point where they could hear the crowd cheering, the air became warmer and they could see properly again. Sting carefully shut the door behind them, taking care to make no noise.

As they continued to search, the crowd's cheering only got more intense. Sting really wanted to know what was going on outside, but he continued walk. Honestly, how hard could it be to find the loud-mouthed exceed?

"Sting knows Sabertooth will win, that's why he didn't even try!"

Finally he heard Lector's voice, but who was he bragging to now? It was some wizard from Mermaid Heel, but he couldn't even see her face. It was obscured by a large hood.

Sting held out his arm to stop Lucy before she could round the corner and be seen with him.

"Lector," Sting said.

The exceed turned around, completely disregarding the woman and running to Sting. He put Frosh down and looked to the walls when the crowd's cheering intensified further. What had them so excited? Sting could hear Lucy behind him pacing nervously, clearly wanting to know what was happening.

"Hey Sting!" Lector greeted, then turned back to face the wizard. "I was just telling this Mermaid here about how-" but she was gone. It was like she hadn't been there in the first place, and disappeared without a sound.

"Lector, I have something to tell you. You know how I keep leaving without explanation, right?"

The exceed nodded slowly.

On cue, Lucy came around the corner.

"I go out, meeting Lucy. I didn't want to say anything because she's from Fairy Tail, but I felt like you deserved to know," Sting said. He slightly winced at his own explanation, hoping Lector would accept it.

Lector stood looking slightly dumbfounded for a moment, while Frosh simply smiled.

"Fairy Tail?!" Lector finally asked. Of course that was what everyone got stuck on, _the opposing guilds._

"Yes," Sting replied. Clearly, Lector was not liking this.

"Why?"

Sting looked at Lector, disappointed, then realized that the question made sense. He hadn't given any reason for Lector to think otherwise.

"Because when I met her, I didn't know her guild and I liked her. Simple as that." Sting explained. Beside him, Lucy smiled.

"Fro think so, too!" Frosh interjected.

Lector looked to Frosh, then back to Sting. "So that's what the necklace was for."

"You saw that?"

Lector nodded proudly. Sting shook his head jokingly then turned to Lucy.

"I have to get back to Rogue, he's probably panicking about Frosh now." Sting told Lucy, then kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you for coming with me."

"Take is as a thank you for the tiny self defense class yesterday," she said. "Oh, and meet me tonight okay!"

By now the crowd had died down and Sting walked back to where Sabertooth was watching. Were the events over now? Now he'd at least have an excuse to make up, and hoped he could avoid telling Rogue anything. Frosh hopefully would not say anything, and that was all he could hope for. Sting didn't know why, but he didn't want to tell Rogue- at least not yet.

It was inevitable that some people would find out, but he wasn't ready yet. If news got out about them during the games, it would be one big mess. If that happened, Sting wouldn't belong to a guild anymore.

* * *

An: ahaha long chapter. I'm a bit bogged down with homework, but I'm super excited to write the next few chapters!

Btw, I love reading your reviews! They make me really happy. C:


	8. Epitome of Harsh

Lucy lied, and _lied lied lied_. Over and over she was asked why she missed Elfman's match, Natsu had said she was not with him either. Everyone wanted to know what was so important that she missed the spectacle. It was talked about non-stop, about Elfman's victory and Quatro Cerberus' new name: Quatro Puppy. Sure it was funny, but when people constantly asked Lucy where she got lost and how she missed 'the best battle so far' it got irritating. Obviously she could not say she searched with Sting, trying to find some cats, so she said that she got lost. At this point, people probably thought she possessed an absent-mind and that she needed someone with her to 'remind her to stay on track'.

Lucy huffed while sitting at the table with Erza and Levy. Erza said that Lucy should stay for the night, so she could not get lost. Lucy considered sneaking out so she could still meet Sting, but if someone saw her, every carefully crafted lie would be for nothing. Lucy was not looking forward to the next event, where she would be under constant surveillance from Erza.

As she looked out the window, Lucy knew nothing good would come of the next day of the Grand Magic Games. At least they had the break in between, but even then that was not much of a comfort.

Lucy stood up, giving Erza the silent treatment and headed towards Gray. She could only complain to him, and if she had to shove Juvia out of the way, so be it.

"Juvia, do you mind if I talk to Gray for a moment?" Lucy asked, not in the mood to put up with the whole 'love rival' thing.

Juvia glared at Lucy, but left the two alone.

"Gray, you have to help me."

"What, why?"

"Erza's watching me, making sure I don't get lost or stay out too late. I... I promised I'd meet Sting tonight," She told him, making sure nobody was listening.

"And you want me to do what?" Gray asked cautiously.

"Tell Erza that I have to go somewhere and that you'll watch me. I feel like a teenager right now," Lucy said, crossing her arms in anger.

"Alright, but I can't stay out very long."

"Thank you Gray!"

* * *

Gray told her one hour, that was all she had to meet with Sting. At least she got to see him. It was a field on a cliff overlooking the city. How Sting found these peaceful places was beyond her.

"Sting, I'm so _so_ sorry! Erza wanted me to stay at Fairy Tail so I wouldn't get lost again. I had to get Gray to lie for me," she apologized.

Sting shrugged. "It's alright, I was starting to get a bit worried though."

"Gray gave me one hour, so I don't know what we can do, really," she explained.

"I guess we'll talk. Just like the day we met," he said, sitting down on the grass.

"So does Rogue know now?" Lucy asked, sitting beside him.

"I don't know. He didn't say anything, so I'm assuming he doesn't. Lector's been looking at me weirdly, but I think he's accepting it."

"Well that's good, I guess," Lucy said, then looked down sadly. "Sting... What are we going to do when the games are done? How will we see each other?"

Lucy felt sorry she had to ask the question, and felt horrible for even thinking about it, but they had to face it, not matter how bad. Their currently problem being that they lived in different cities with different guilds that hated each other. If Fairy Tail knew, they would be angry, if Sabertooth knew, Sting would not have a guild. If they lied, someone would figure it out.

Something had to be done, but they did not know what. They both wanted to carry on their relationship, and would, but it would be difficult- could even ruin them in the end.

"I don't know. We can visit each other every once in awhile, write letters, take vacations and meet each other. In the long term... One of us will have to say something," he finally said.

Lucy blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to get rid of the tears. "Maybe I could tell Fairy Tail... They wouldn't be that angry would they?"

"What about Natsu? After what Rogue and I said, I'm not sure he'll be too happy." Sting said.

"Maybe-maybe we... We should tell them when the games are done."

Sting nodded and Lucy suddenly teared up.

"It's so hard lying to them! I wish things weren't the way they are. They're my family and I constantly have to lie to their faces!" Lucy blubbered, breaking down.

Sting frowned and took Lucy into his arms. "Lucy, it's okay. We'll be okay. We can sort this all out when the games are over." Now he felt terrible.

"And what about you? Is it hard for you to lie? At least you could tell Lector."

"It's not the lying that's a problem. I'm... I'm scared of what will happen if the guild finds out. Weakness isn't allowed- one mistake and you're out of the guild," he said quietly. Sting liked his guild, liked their power, but sometimes it was too intense.

"That's horrible," Lucy said.

Their situation could be called the epitome of harsh. They wanted to be together, but fate decided against them. Never could they be together in the way they wanted; so forever a secret it would remain.

* * *

The first day it rained in Crocus made Lucy glad there was no competition that day. Despite her relationship with Sting strengthening the previous night, she felt like breaking down.

All around her, her guild mates gave her questioning looks. She wanted to tell them everything, and it killed her to stay silent. Lucy laid her head down on the table in their in and stared at the rain pelting on the window.

She could not even consider breaking off their relationship, even if it would be for their own good. She went through each individual in her guild and considered their reactions. For now, the best idea was to keep the relationship hidden. It was horrible that she had to do so.

* * *

Erza had kept a steady eye on Lucy since she disappeared after the chariot race. Lucy did not seem the same after she and Gray left for an hour; her bright personality absent, her passion for things in life seemed to have dulled. Erza had no idea what happened to Lucy and she wanted to know.

That day was Mira vs. Jenny and Yukino vs. Kagura. Both matches promised to bring exciting fights and people to route for, yet still, Lucy seemed off.

When Yukino and Kagura were fighting, Lucy seemed to show a bit of interest, but not as much as Erza would expect. It was so weird. Not only did Lucy seem off, but Gray seemed to know something about it. Erza would have cornered Gray and demanded answers out of him, but it was not her place to dig into Lucy's life.

Though, the worst part of it would be seeing Lucy's reaction to Yukino's loss. Erza did not know why, but it affected Lucy strongly, causing the woman to leave their box before the match was declared over. In that moment, Lucy did not seem to care about what Erza said, she just left.

* * *

The atmosphere had never been _this_ tense in Sabertooth before.

Yukino stood before their master, ready to do anything he said. Sting knew what was coming next: the poor celestial wizard would be asked to leave the guild. What he did not see coming, was their master asking her to strip down and remove the guild mark herself. It was a whole new level of intensity.

Maybe the whole power thing had gone a bit too far.

Sting could not help but wonder, _what if he had been found out?_ Would the same thing happen to him?

Beside him, Frosh quivered in fear and Rogue looked away. They seemingly did not want to be a part of the guild at that moment, and Sting did not really either. When their master dismissed them, Rogue caught up with Sting before he was about to enter his room.

"Master can be so intense, I mean, that hurt to watch," Sting said, turning to Rogue.

"Well, it can't be helped. There's a reason we're the most powerful guild in all of Fiore." Lector added.

Frosh sighed. "I'm really going to miss her."

"Is this really how guilds work? Yukino was one of us, wasn't she?" Rogue asked angrily.

Sting got caught off guard by the conviction in Rogue's voice and even agreed with him.

"She screwed up, so she's out. You know what they say about the weakest link; she would have just held us back," he said. Though, he certainly did not want to say it. He hoped that Rogue did not hear through the façade. Sting knew he had to keep up his image, especially in Sabertooth.

Rogue frowned at Sting and turned around. Sting wished he could say it was all a lie, that Sabertooth was too harsh. Because if the same thing happened to himself, that would no longer be his opinion.

"Oh, did you hear? Rumour has it Minerva is going to take Yukino's place in the lineup," Lector said excitedly.

A month ago, Sting would have cheered. Now? He felt scared. Minerva possessed a devilishly smart mind, and if she so much as caught a piece of evidence, she would know. It seemed that his and Lucy's relationship just got more complicated.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside Fairy Tail's inn, Yukino had just told a haunting story about Sabertooth. Lucy had prodded the poor woman a bit too much on why she was giving away her keys, and she broke down. She told them everything about Sabertooth, right down to the last detail. Lucy was appalled that Sabertooth would do that to one of their own. She briefly considered if Sting was talking about that the other night, _about being kicked out._

"I'm sorry that I broke down! I just can't help it, how could they be that cruel?" Yukino asked.

Lucy's heart nearly broke in two for her. She did excellent during her match against Kagura, Lucy thought. Yukino did not deserve to be thrown out of her guild.

"They're going to pay for this! They call themselves a guild?" Natsu asked angrily, his fists flaming up.

"Natsu calm down! It isn't our business!" Lucy cried. She did not want Natsu to act on his anger, even if Sabertooth deserved it.

Natsu turned to stare at her. "How could you say that Lucy?"

Because she did not want Sting to get hurt, and it was selfish. _Oh so selfish_. "You know the rules of the games! You can't just go attacking them!"

Natsu extinguished the flames, but his anger was still there.

"Yukino, I'm sorry, I can't take your keys. A celestial wizard's relationship with their spirits is special."

The woman nodded, getting up and brushing the tears from her eyes. Beside Lucy, Natsu fumed. It was worse than she had seen in a long time. And it was directed at Sabertooth. There was no chance in hell that Lucy was going to tell him about Sting now.

As the situation dissolved, and everyone left, Lucy sat down and took a shaky breath. Things were getting too intense.

* * *

BAM.

That was all Sting heard. He had just been rudely awoken from his sleep. "What the hell?" He asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Suddenly his door slammed open, and Rogue stood in the doorway. Sting sat up quickly, knowing that a dangerous situation was taking place.

"Sabertooth is under attack!" Rogue shouted.

Under attack? Did their assailant have a death wish? It took a hell of a lot of nerves to come attack the most powerful guild in Fiore, and Sting only knew one man that would dare.

His suspicions were confirmed as he descended the stairs and saw a man who flamed with rage.

"Why?" Sting asked to himself. Beside him, Rogue shrugged.

"He's going to regret it," Sting said. He would not attack Natsu if he did not have to. If Lucy were to find out they fought, she would be extremely angry. Why did it have to be Natsu? Why could it not have been some idiot from another guild, one Lucy did not belong to.

As they rushed towards the fighting, Natsu continued to knock out Sabertooth wizards unchallenged. By now, Sting thought that at least one wizard would have been able to get the jump on Natsu, but no. The man was a living, breathing ball of fire.

"Enough!" His master called.

Sting became disappointed that their master stopped them before anything could happen. Orga seemed steps away from attacking Natsu, and Sting had front row seats to the action.

"What are you doing here boy?" Jiemma asked.

Natsu growled. "You know exactly why I'm here!"

Sting sifted through his mind, trying to think of the cause for the sudden rampage. Nothing came to mind, so he stared at Natsu intently. However, Sting did not expect Natsu to stare back at him and give him a funny look.

"Why do I smell Lucy on you?" he asked, confused.

All heads turned to Sting. No no no, this could not be happening.

* * *

An: Cliffhanger? I'm very busy 'til Friday. Sorry for leaving you guys here! I may update sooner if I'm feeling super motivated ; )


	9. Held Back

How? Of all the people in the world, of all the places to be, Natsu has found a clue. Sabertooth was completely silent at this point, and all eyes were on Sting. He knew what must be running through their heads, either that he was an idiot or he had a one night stand with the blonde. Either way, he needed is dissuade the thought before anyone could _actually_ catch on.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sting yelled.

"Lucy. You smell like Lucy," Natsu reiterated

Sting was desperate now. The people of Sabertooth were starting to whisper. "Shut up and stop trying to pin your girl problems on me!"

"Girl problems? Man, you gotta be kidding me! Lucy's my friend!" Natsu shouted.

Before, this was an act against all of Sabertooth, but now? Natsu had made the fight intensely personal and nobody knew that aside from Sting. He no longer cared what would be said if he and Natsu fought- he was going to fight Natsu and nobody could stop him.

"Yeah? Then why do you care and why the hell are you here?" Sting hissed. It was spoken too quietly for the rest of the guild, aside from Rogue.

"You guys call yourself a guild? After kicking out Yukino?" He asked, fists blazing.

 _So that's what he was upset about._

"Shut up!" Sting yelled. He needed to fight Natsu, he needed to prove that he wasn't with Lucy.

Now Natsu seemed especially angry. He burst forward and sent a fist flying at Sting, who dodged swiftly.

"You'll have to try harder than that!" Sting taunted.

Natsu growled, bursting forward again, but this time much faster. Sting didn't have time to react and got a fist to the face. Now the Sabertooth guild watched in astonishment as their white dragon slayer fought the fire. The two were almost a blur of orange and white, neither seemed to really get the upper hand.

Unknown to the spectators, this fight meant a lot more than a petty rivalry. Sting felt exposed and cornered while Natsu had an entirely different reason for attacking. Rogue was sure his eyes were visibly widened, because most people wouldn't see it, but Sting wasn't holding his emotions back from this fight. If someone didn't stop it soon, there would be an unimaginable amount of damage.

Rogue looked around for anything that might get the two to stop, and his eyes landed on their guild master. Jiemma was watching the two fight with a sadistic type of enjoyment, but suspicion too. He took note of what Natsu said, evidently.

Natsu dodged a powerful blast from Sting, glaring at the white dragon slayer.

"Why do I smell Lucy on you?" He seethed.

Sting smirked. "You'll have to ask the bitch yourself, because I don't know what you're talking about."

If it were possible, Natsu seemed more angry than before. It was then Sting realized he had made a mistake; Natsu was too angry. The fire dragon slayer stood before him, will blazing and face the definition of rage.

He shot forward, ready to punch Sting in the face- so Sting moved accordingly. Only, that wasn't what Natsu was really going to do- it was a feint. Sting stumbled backwards from the blow to his gut.

Natsu was seemingly done with Sting, as he had shifted his attention to Sabertooth's leader. Natsu had no regard for his life, Sting thought as Natsu began to attack his master. Anyone who wanted to fight Jiemma had a death wish.

As blow after blow was rained down on Jiemma, Natsu's rage didn't dilute. This was going to be one hellish night.

* * *

Ezra stood looking over the brilliant city of Crocus. It was a shame she couldn't enjoy the view in the way she wanted- her thoughts were occupied by Milliana- her attention was consumed.

Finally, she had reason to think of something else when she heard footsteps behind her. A small smile played across her face when she saw Gray walking up to her. Maybe she would be able to drag some answers out of him concerning Lucy.

"Gray, what are you doing out here?"

He shrugged. "Juvia and Lyon were fighting again."

Ezra knew the context of the fighting and left it at that, instead, she had more important questions about Lucy. "Gray, I have something to ask you."

Gray eyed her wearily. "Okay... Then ask away."

"Do you think Lucy's been acting weird?"

"No? Why would you ask that?" Gray said a little too quickly.

Erza shot him a look of disapproval and crossed her arms. "She's been acting strangely and you know it. I've even brought this topic up with Natsu and Wendy, they've noticed it too."

Gray sighed and leaned against the railing. "What sort of strange behaviour?"

"Her being absent all the time, making up stories about being distracted and or lost. How many times has Lucy done that in all the time we've known her?"

Gray frowned and looked away from Erza. "She never did."

"I think we should she where she goes, then. She's hiding something big."

"No!" Gray said immediately, looking back to her. Erza furrowed her eyebrows at his strong reaction.

"I mean, we should respect her privacy. If it was something bad, she'd tell us. She's a part of our family and we should trust her, if she doesn't want us to know, then it's her choice," he hastily explained.

"I feel the same way, but the past few days she's seemed upset and... Off?"

Gray sighed and stopped leaning on the railing. "Look, Erza, I know it's weird for Lucy to be all gloomy, but she'll probably tell us when she's ready."

"Alright Gray, but if you know anything, please tell me later," Erza stated, then walked away. Now she knew for sure that both Gray and Lucy were hiding something, and she was going to figure it out.

* * *

"Enough!" A woman bellowed, accompanied by a brilliant flash of light that absorbed Natsu's attack.

Minerva. Sting hoped desperately that she had not heard what Natsu said earlier, for if she had, there would be unrelenting questions that would eventually lead to her uncovering the truth. It was great that she came to stop Natsu from tearing apart the inn, but it would be even better if she wasn't even there in the first place.

Once she brought out Natsu's exceed, he stopped complaining. Sting even felt a bit of empathy at seeing Natsu's distress for his companion. But he was most thankful when Natsu finally left the building- Sting just hoped he had convinced Natsu from thinking he had anything to do with Lucy.

His guild however, was a different matter. At the moment, they were watching the dragon slayer leave, but when he was finally gone, there would be questions.

"Who's Lucy?" Orga asked Sting.

"That girl that lost badly on the first day," Sting shrugged. He had to play it off cool.

"I remember. It must have been when you saved her in the labyrinth in order to get the map," Rufus added. From the corner of his eye, Sting could see Minerva watching them.

"Saved her? How curious. And just why would you save her? Surely you could go without the map," She spoke loudly. Yet again, the guild's attention was brought to Sting.

If Sting had an option to disappear and never come back to the guild at the moment, he'd take it in a heartbeat. How could he possibly explain to Minerva and her father that he wanted to keep Fairy Tail in the games?

"I thought that keeping Fairy Tail would-"

"We were having trouble getting out of a certain area and Fairy Tail had the map," Rogue answered for him.

Sting felt nothing but gratitude for Rogue.

"It's kind of you to excuse your fellow dragon slayer, but I wanted to hear Sting's explanation," Minerva said with devilish smile on her face.

"I wanted to keep Fairy Tail in because I heard their members were back after seven years, and I wanted to fight them in the arena," Sting explained bitterly. Rogue had just stuck up for him meaninglessly thanks to Minerva.

Minerva have a wave of her hand. "Don't let it happen next time. To be in Sabertooth is to show _no_ mercy."

Sting was so confused, why was she so dismissive of him? Maybe she just didn't care and would let him go. Either way, Sting felt glad the guild got dismissed to clean up and sleep. It had been a wild night.

* * *

Natsu came back to the inn battered and clothes torn. Everyone who was still up turned in surprise at him, asking a million questions. But he didn't answer any of them.

Instead he stared at Lucy, who was still surprised at his appearance. Erza stood up and demanded an answer from him, but he wouldn't even answer. By now, Gray and Wendy were up looking at him in question.

"Natsu... Let's just go upstairs," Lucy suggested.

The other Fairy Tail members nodded.

"Not you guys, just us!" Lucy said as the rest of their team went upstairs.

"What did you get yourself into Flame-brain?" Gray asked.

"After Yukino came here and told me and Lucy she got kicked out of her guild, I went to Sabertooth," he explained, looking proud of himself.

Erza put her hands on her hips. "And?"

"I beat them up! They didn't even think it was wrong to throw her out of the guild!"

"You what!?" Lucy and Wendy shouted in unison.

"Yeah and their guild master was really angry! Then this lady took Happy so I had to stop."

"You should be glad she did! Natsu, that's against the rules!" Erza yelled.

"Whatever," Natsu huffed.

Everyone present in the room nearly gasped at his blatant disregard for Erza.

"I want to talk to Lucy now, so please leave," he said.

While their group's faces were all covered in shock, they still left. Lucy swore her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. She knew exactly what Natsu wanted to talk about, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Natsu was at Sabertooth, and Sting obviously slept there. The question stood, what did Natsu know?

Lucy looked to Natsu's eyes fearfully. She didn't want to give away anything, because she didn't know how much he knew, but she couldn't control her reactions.

"W-what do you want?" She asked.

Natsu felt bad that she felt scared around him. She'd never been that way around him before except for one other time, which he also didn't understand.

"When I was at Sabertooth, I smelled you on Sting. Is that where you keep going?" He asked cautiously.

"N-no! Where would you get that idea?" She asked.

"Because I've never been wrong about this sort of stuff. Lucy, do you have something you need to tell us?"

Yes. Yes she did, she had a thousand things to tell them. She wanted to tell Levy every little detail of her dates. She wanted to be able to walk with Sting freely in public, she wanted to not have to lie any more and most of all she wanted to be free. But she never could tell them, as they would hate her. She would betray her family's trust.

"No Natsu I don't! Leave it alone!" Lucy yelled.

Natsu recoiled in surprise, but didn't back off. "Lucy we all know you're hiding something, please tell me."

She wanted to tell him so badly. But fear held her back.

An: Some of you may have noticed that sometimes I have the wrong word in place of the proper one. It's most likely because I'm typing this story on my phone and autocorrect hates me. I try and find the mistakes, but a lot slip past me.


	10. Freedom in Limit

Lucy fearfully backed out of the room, knowing that Natsu would think she'd become crazy. She just couldn't admit her relationship with Sting to him. It was on the tip of her tongue- a few choice words and he would know everything. But she couldn't set herself free. She couldn't admit to being with Sting. The fallout would be too much for her, and during the Grand Magic Games? Unthinkable.

When Natsu didn't follow her, she sighed in relief. She was so close to spilling everything to him, she had even wanted to. Yet, her rational thinking prevented her from doing so. Lucy put her hand over her forehead and tried to prevent tears from coming out, but couldn't. How could Natsu keep pressing her like that? She'd told him to stop, but he didn't.

She went to look outside the window, which had a view of a main street in Crocus. The people outside were joking around with each other obviously celebrating the Grand Magic Games. They got to be carefree with their lives, Lucy thought sadly.

The cost of living with a lie was almost too much. She had to see Sting now, but he would be sleeping in his inn. Nothing would help besides going to sleep, she finally decided, so she threw herself into bed and put the covers over her head. She'd talk to her guild mates in the morning if the mood struck her.

* * *

Bright and early, Lucy left the inn before any members of the Fairy Tail members were awake. She didn't even grab anything to eat or bother with a shower, she needed help and she needed someone to talk to fast. Gray wasn't enough. He didn't know the intimate details of her relationship with Sting or the internal struggle she was feeling.

Instead, she waited near the outside of Sting's inn, hoping he would come outside soon. She took taking a huge risk by doing waiting there. She just felt like there was no other option.

She sat down idly, looking at the rising sun. Few people were up at this time, and even fewer were out of their homes, so she didn't really have to worry about being seen. She chose her location wisely, it was a place where one would not look at while leaving the guild, but still gave her a near perfect view of the door.

Lucy grasped her necklace tightly, hoping desperately that Sting would come out the doors at some point. She had nothing to do during the break anyways, so she brought her novel along. She thought of making a story to vent her feelings, but decided against it, instead settling for reading.

As the novel continued on, Lucy lent herself to the words, becoming swept away in the tragic story. It kept her mind off a lot, and, apparently, the inn's doors.

"You know, if you wanted to see Sting, you're going about it the wrong way."

Lucy jumped, and threw her book, effectively losing her place. She turned to look behind her to see none other than Rogue Cheney, the shadow dragon slayer.

"What?" Was all she could manage.

"Sting isn't an early riser, and probably won't be up for another hour or two. It would be even later if he were back at the guild," Rogue said calmly.

Lucy was anything but calm. "You know?!"

"I knew a while ago, but now I think that half the guild is starting to put two and two together. I'd advise caution. Is it important that you need to see him?" Rogue asked.

"I... Yes. Something happened last night, I need to talk to him."

Rogue nodded. "I'll go get him, but next time you shouldn't hang around this inn. Some of the wizards here aren't merciful."

Lucy didn't respond to Rogue, instead she watched him enter the inn. To her, Rogue didn't seem like the arrogant man he'd been when she and Natsu confronted the two. He hadn't spoken in a superior tone or seemed hostile in any way. Seeing the change in Rogue made her feel weird and started a debate within her head about the extent Sabertooth controlled its wizards.

* * *

Sting groaned at the arm that was shaking him, not wanting to wake up.

"Sting!" The voice exclaimed.

"What?" He mumbled.

"Get up now."

Sting's eyes snapped open once he realized that it was Rogue waking him up. Especially with the tone of voice Rogue was using.

"What is it?" Sting asked, now fully aware of his surroundings. He'd had more than enough of rude awakenings in the past day.

"Your _mysterious_ girlfriend is waiting for you outside."

Sting stopped getting up and completely stilled. "...My what?"

 _Did Rogue know? And what the hell was Lucy doing outside?_

"After last night, having her around might not be the best idea," Rogue said.

"You.. You know?" Sting asked cautiously.

Rogue sighed. "Yes, and probably for longer than you thought."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Rogue's face visibly got angrier. "Because I was waiting for you to admit it to me. Instead you lied and lied again. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I-" Sting huffed and laid back down. "I don't know. It just seemed so daunting, you know? To admit to liking someone from Fairy Tail. I thought you'd think I went crazy."

Rogue shook his head with a bitter smile on his face. Of course Sting would think that, after all, Rogue did the same thing Sting did; pretend to be someone he was not.

"Well at least we know now," Rogue said. "And it seemed foolhardy to just leave her outside so that you would still have to admit it to me."

Sting smiled. "Thank you, then. Promise me, no more secrets?"

"No more secrets," Rogue said with a small smile, then left the room.

* * *

Sting came outside the guild looking bewildered. He searched around for Lucy, but had a tough time spotting her.

Lucy waved her hand a bit and he caught on the the motion and walked over.

"Lucy what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I needed to see you. I was so close to telling Natsu about us last night."

"He nearly got me found out last night too. I can't beli-" Sting stopped talking and grasped his head in pain. In front of him, the shadows were moving, taunting him.

He collapsed to the ground with his head in his hands. It was almost as if the shadows were drawing him in.

* * *

 _Rogue circled Sting."Do you think she'll be able to keep lying forever?"_

 _Sting was looking at himself and Rogue from someone else's perspective. It was him and Rogue, seemingly in a hostile argument._

 _"No, she won't have to."_

 _Rogue looked at Sting skeptically "And when will the time come when she can stop lying?"_

 _"When she's ready."_

 _"Then what about you? What happens when Jiemma finds out? Are you prepared to be kicked out of the guild?"_

 _"No. They won't know, I'll be careful," Sting excused._

 _Rogue laughed. "You're lying to yourself, it has stop. You'll never be ready for it."_

 _Sting felt shock as he saw himself turn, finally revealing his face. He looked like he'd been through hell and back. This had to be sometime after the games, but when?_

* * *

He never got to find out as he was back in the current world.

"Sting?!" Lucy asked, partially freaking out.

"I'm okay," he uttered. "Perfectly fine,"

Lucy watched him carefully, noticing he still seemed out of it. "What was that?"

"I... I don't know. It was something about me and Rogue fighting. It doesn't make any sense."

Lucy helped Sting off the ground.

"He was just here a few minutes ago. What was he arguing about?"

"I don't know. It's weird, because we just talked about me and you, and he was fine with us."

Lucy thought for a moment. "That's really weird. Maybe ask him about it later."

Sting nodded, then took Lucy's hand in his. "For now, let's go somewhere nicer. Preferably a café, so we can have breakfast."

* * *

First Stop Café was a quaint establishment hidden away from the bustling city of Crocus. There was a reason they had picked the tiny cafe that was wrapped up in the sprawling neighbourhood; obscurity.

Nobody important would be at the cafe, and it was still early in the morning, so it was unlikely they would be recognized.

"This place is pretty cute once you get past the chipped paint," Lucy commented, observing the inside.

"You could say that..." Sting replied, looking at the near empty establishment.

The two sat opposite another at a booth right beside a window. The early morning sun was streaming in and cast harsh shadows on their facial features. Sting loved the way Lucy's hair was illuminated by the sunlight.

"So, what happened last night? I backed away from Natsu before he told us anything."

"He burst into the inn, beating up people wherever he went. I know his intention was to teach our guild master a lesson, but he ended up staring at me and asking me why I smelled like you. I played it off, but I think some people in Sabertooth are suspicious."

"I think Natsu caught on last night. He's always been a bit excitable, but last night he kept pressing me. And I'm sure he saw how scared I was."

Sting sighed. "I'm just glad me and Rogue are on the same page."

"At least you have him. Me and Gray have always been friends, but it feels weird talking to him about you. I'm not even sure he's fully accepted us."

Sting leaned forward and took Lucy's hands in his. "Lucy, we'll figure this out when the games end. I promise you."

"Thank you," she said softly.

The two both ordered a light breakfast and proceeded to talk about the competitors for a while.

"I still can't believe that Quatro Cerberus actually changed their name," Lucy laughed.

Sting snorted. "I can't believe they agreed to it in the first place."

"I think they were severely underestimating Fairy Tail." Lucy said with a superior tone.

"That seems to be a recurring theme this year."

"Don't you go underestimating us either!" Lucy said with a wink.

Sting took a sip of his drink, then placed it down. "With the core Fairy Tail members back, and Natsu's display last night, I wouldn't dream of it."

"And you don't have to worry, we're not taking Sabertooth lightly either." She said with a wink.

"Good, because with Minerva back, that would be a big mistake."

Lucy eyed him curiously. "Minerva? Who's that?"

"She's our guild master's daughter. She's a smart woman and an even tougher opponent."

"I'll make sure to watch out for her then," she said, shifting in her seat. "...So, how should we deal with Natsu?"

How should they deal with him? Like Lucy had said, Natsu knew something was up, even if he didn't know what specifically was happening. Sting and Lucy were determined to convince other wise.

"Last night, Rufus gave me an idea," Sting told her.

"Like what?" She said after chewing.

"We smell like each other from when I saved you in the labyrinth. It may not explain where we go, but it makes sense."

Lucy nodded her head happily. "That works! And I can get Gray to cover for me when I go somewhere."

Sting grinned. They had finally found a way to deal with all the lies, even if it wasn't a definite fix. A more long-term solution could be found after the Grand Magic Games, when they had the time to think of something.

The day now seemed a bit brighter to them.

* * *

An: I've been trying to write with more clarity, and it's difficult.

Anyways, I love you guys and I love reading your reviews! Hope you enjoyed!


	11. Two Days in Three Hours

In the two days before the catastrophic event, Lucy and Sting were as happy as they could be under their current circumstances. Erza had just gained Fairy Tail a big lead and Wendy tied with Chelia. Their guild's mood improved considerably, even making the Wizards go into full celebration.

Instead of celebrating, she spent break night out with Sting. The dragon slayer didn't appear to be as whimsical as the Fairy Tail guild, rather, he seemed somber. Lucy had prompted him to tell her what was bothering him, but he denied her requests. That night, nothing happened. The two simply spend cherished time in each other's company, hoping that their time together wouldn't end soon.

The evening before the Naval battle was a pivotal one, but they didn't know it. Nobody did.

* * *

The guild had been celebrating for three hours, and while Natsu revelled in these celebrations, he couldn't help the feeling that something was majorly wrong. Gray kept trying to provoke Natsu into a fight, but the ice Mage was continually unsuccessful in his attempts. Natsu brushed Gray off, instead, he went for the inn's doors and left.

Lucy was missing again, nobody even knew where the blonde went this time and it worried Natsu. She was changing, everyone could see it. But nobody felt it as acutely as he did; nobody saw the fear in her eyes when he asked what was wrong, the way she freaked when he pressed her to say something.

It was very unlike Lucy to hide something from their family, and while Natsu wasn't observant at times, he did pick up on her behaviour. Sometimes she would be at the inn, all cheery, and other times it seemed like her world had ended. At first, Natsu thought it had something to do with her father. But when he saw her scared, he knew that wasn't the case.

Right now, Natsu was walking through the streets of Crocus, simply wandering around. He raised his arm and watched as the elongated shadows played off of him. The evening sun casted harsh shadows on the city, making for a nice warm evening.

Natsu knew he could go look for Lucy, and probably should, but she didn't want him to know. So he left it, left her alone.

Natsu turned into an alley that was bathed in the sun. He rested his arms behind his back, wishing he brought Happy to come along. It wasn't that he felt lonely, it was more that he felt weird. Normally somebody was with him, but right then, his team was absent from his side.

Natsu continued walking with no purpose, but started to get paranoid. The shadows, in front of him- they were shifting - _morphing into something._

Natsu took a step back, not in fear, but in apprehension. He couldn't comprehend what was happening in front of him. Shadows didn't take their own shape, they didn't become darker than they should be and they certainly didn't have red eyes.

Natsu readied himself for something, whether it was a fight or something else, he dropped into an offensive stance. But it did him no good.

He didn't understand it, but he walked towards the strange shadow in front of him. It was like it was calling to the dragon slayer.

Natsu dropped to his knees, shaking from trying to resist.

* * *

Lucy shivered. Now that the sun had nearly set, its light couldn't reach her and warm her up. Sting wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to warm her up, but to no avail.

"Do you think I'll do well competing tomorrow?" She asked.

"Minerva is competing tomorrow, so I'd be careful."

Lucy sighed. "I just don't want to let my guild down like last time. I was so close."

"Lucy, I'm sure you'll do great. I mean, when you were about to end you match with that spell-"

"Urano Metria," Lucy corrected.

"With Urano Metria, you should have seen the looks of amazement on everyone's faces. It even got the attention of my guild mates."

"People were really impressed?"

Sting smiled at her. "Yes, I was too. I guess most people weren't expecting that you had it in you."

"I guess that's comforting, in a way," She conceded.

He nodded and held her more tightly. They didn't know what the next day would bring, but that wasn't the most worrying thought. Sting still didn't know what to make of the vision he had. He could of brought it up with Rogue, but he didn't, because he still didn't know how to explain it.

"Sting, there's something that's been bothering you..." Lucy started.

Sting stiffened, but didn't deny it. He nodded slowly.

"Was it when you collapsed? Because that really worried me. I thought there was something wrong with you, and that I'd have to get you help."

Sting nodded. He was normally the act first, think later type of man, but his relationship with Lucy left him constantly thinking. Over-thinking seemed to be a quality he gained over the past few days, because it was certainly showing in his behaviour.

"I can't stop thinking about it, no matter how many times I try. I try to figure out why Rogue would be arguing about you. He's never angry like that. I just want to know why I even had a vision of that in the first place," Sting explained.

Lucy leaned into Sting's arms further. "I think we'll be fine. For all we know, it could be some weird fluke. We can't really do anything more than ask Rogue about it, so I'd save the worrying for later."

Sting nodded. "Right, and I should probably ask him, _no matter how awkward that will be_. Aside from when Rogue first told me he knew, he hasn't brought it up again. I don't know what he's thinking."

Lucy smiled and looked to the sky above her. "Good idea."

* * *

Natsu didn't know what was happening, where he was or who the people around him were. He was too caught up in the bleak, almost apocalyptic setting. He felt fear work its way into his mind when a shrill scream permeated the air.

His head snapped to the side to search for the source of the scream. He tried to smell for something familiar, but the air was dense with ash. The only smells to be found was that of charred bodies. He nearly blanched at the awful smell.

The dragon slayer heard the scream again, this time it was more drawn out, so he followed it. He was lead up a hill of ruins that like they were once a building, maybe a house.

Normally his footing would be steady and confident, but he didn't have an idea of what was happening. The feeling of fear slammed into him full force. Natsu lost his balance and nearly fell trying to pursue the voice.

When he made it to the top of the ruins, he felt his blood run cold. In front of him stood Sting and Lucy, trying to defend themselves from a man that seemed faintly familiar.

He yelled out to them, trying to get their attention, but it yielded no results. They couldn't hear him. Natsu was puzzled now. Was he in a nightmare?

Lucy and Sting were almost unrecognizable with their faces covered in lacerations. One of Lucy's arms was bent at an odd angle, and Sting had a large gash that was openly bleeding on his abdomen.

Natsu didn't have the capacity to worry on why Lucy and Sting were together, at the moment he was too busy figuring out what was happening. The assailant's face was obscured by an ominous robe that hid all features aside from his arm, which was held out as a threat.

"Just tell me where-" the man started.

"No!" Lucy yelled, cutting him off.

Natsu wanted to know what they were talking about desperately. Lucy seemed to know what was wrong, but Natsu certainly didn't.

"Then I have no use for the two of you," the man spoke coldly.

Natsu could feel the change in the air, the charge of magic, of a powerful powerful spell.

"Move!" Natsu yelled futilely.

And he watched the two blondes die in front of him, without figuring out who killed them.

* * *

Natsu's eyes opened immediately. He held his head as if holding it could stop the pain he was feeling. Where was Lucy now? That vision was extremely concerning, _and_ , yet again, Sting was associated with Lucy.

Natsu got up from the spot from which he had fallen into a daze and broke into a sprint. He had to get to Fairy Tail quickly. He didn't know where Lucy had gone and it bothered him immensely. Somebody had to have saw her leave the inn.

"Erza!" He yelled upon slamming open the door.

Some of the guild quieted, while others continued to drink. Erza and Gray looked up from where they were sitting and stared at Natsu in question.

He looked positively terrified, which was very uncharacteristic for the dragon slayer.

"Where is Lucy? Has anyone seen her? We have to find her right now!" He yelled feverishly.

"Slow down, flame-brain. Why do you need to find her?" Gray asked.

"She's in danger!"

Erza got up and crossed her arms. Many people would take this as a sign of disbelief, but Gray and Natsu knew better. She was concerned.

"From what?" She asked.

"I don't know, I had a vision of her and she died and I ran over here and she's missing right now!" He blurted out.

"You what?" Gray and Erza asked at the same time.

Levy, who had been listening the entire time beside Gajeel, became extremely anxious.

"Has anyone seen Lucy this evening?" Levy spoke up.

Nobody said anything. Levy's question was simply answered by silence.

"Then we go looking for her. Erza, Natsu and Gray, you guys go in one party, then Gajeel, Wendy and myself with go in a different way. She still has to be somewhere in the city," Levy commanded. Nobody argued with the script wizard, they just left to search for Lucy.

* * *

"Where would she have gone?" Erza asked their group.

Natsu shook his head. "I don't know. I can try to smell where she went, but right now I'm not picking up anything."

Behind the two, Gray was fighting an internal battle. He had promised Lucy that he wouldn't say anything, and he knew that she was likely with Sting at that very moment. He didn't know if he should tell the two in front of him or not.

"Natsu."

The dragon slayer turned to face Gray. "What?"

"What happened _specifically_ in this vision?" Gray questioned.

"I was in some sort of ruined city and this man demanded Lucy and Sting to tell him something, but they wouldn't, so he killed them."

 _Lucy and Sting?_ Gray grew increasingly worried. "I'm not even going to ask about how you got this vision, or if it even is one. We need to find her."

Erza looked at Gray sharply. "Is there something you want to tell us Gray?"

Gray had thought Erza dropped the whole issue a while ago, but it was back again. She still suspected him of knowing something. Gray cursed that it was him who happened upon Sting and Lucy, not someone else. Her secrets were tearing everyone apart.

"No. I just got worried, let's go," Gray said.

They nodded and continued searching through the area. It was getting increasingly difficult to see now that the sun had nearly set. Street lamps were mostly their only source of light as they looked high and low.

Gray knew how important it was to find Lucy, yet a part of him still resisted wanting to help Erza and Natsu find her. The ice wizard full well knew that she would be with Sting, but there was a sense of danger that he couldn't get out of his head. Especially if Lucy was with Sting in the 'vision'.

* * *

"I should be getting back to Fairy Tail soon. Last I saw them, they were celebrating," Lucy told Sting.

"I'll walk you back most of the way then. It's getting late."

Lucy nodded and took Sting's hand. They took one of Crocus' streets that was less busy, but still beautiful in its own rustic sort of way. Lucy had a way of admiring things in a different eye. She had to, of course, it was part of being an author. Sometimes it was nice for her to see things in a different light. Like Sting for an example. He was a part of Sabertooth and well-loved by fans of the Grand Magic Games, but that wasn't the way she saw him. She simply saw him as Sting Eucliffe, the man she was easily spending her time with.

"Wait, I think Lucy's around," A voice shouted. _Natsu's voice._

"No. We have to go now Sting!" Lucy whispered to him desperately.

Together, the blondes flew through back alleys and street, not caring about the occasional onlooker. Lucy could tell that Natsu and whoever else was with him were narrowing in on them.

Normally, they could have out-run them, but they didn't know where to run. Trying to run from somebody so you could lose them took thinking, and sometimes thinking slowed you down.

Lucy and Sting had been thinking too much, and then too little, as they had hit a dead end.

"This can't be happening," Lucy said, nearly panicking.

"If we go back out into the street, there's no way they'll miss us." Sting spoke.

"Maybe if we-"

 _Too late._

"Lucy?" Natsu asked with Erza and Gray behind him.

There was no turning back at this point.

* * *

 _An: idk about you guys, but when I find a really well-written fic, all I do in my spare time is read it. Normally I would have updated sooner, but it's a 200k word fic._

 _Also, how many of you are caught up on the manga? I kinda want to add in parts from the manga into this story, but if a lot of you aren't caught up, then I won't._

 _Anyways, thanks for reading, and your reviews mean the world to me!_


	12. Believe

Lucy backed away from the corner she and Sting had ran into, cautiously she stepped closer to her guild mates, trying to gauge what their reactions were. She full well knew that Gray wasn't going to help her out in this sense, he'd made that clear a while ago.

"Look, there's no sense in hiding from them anymore," Sting said, exasperated.

Lucy relaxed when she felt Sting out his hand on her shoulder. He was there for her, no matter what was about to happen.

"Natsu, Erza. I- I don't know what to say right now, I-"

"Lucy get away from him!" Natsu yelled at her.

Lucy frowned. Natsu may have been prone to his anger occasionally, but he was never controlling. Did he really hate Sting that much? It would make sense after all that had transpired between the two, but him being commanding?

"Natsu! Look, just because he's from Sabertooth and-"

This time, Gray stepped in. "Lucy, it's not that. You're in danger, we need to get back."

 _Gray? Of all people_ , he should understand her situation. Sting wasn't dangerous to her, despite what they all thought. She felt Sting remove his hand from her shoulder and step in front of her.

"Danger from what? Me? Just because you Fairies don't like-"

"ENOUGH!" Erza bellowed.

That got the attention of everyone present, and even some people walking down the nearby street. Lucy jumped, but stood her ground. She wouldn't let them act this way towards Sting.

"This has nothing to do with Sabertooth, or at least I don't think so. Lucy, we have to get you back to the guild and explain. We can talk about this later," Erza calmly explained.

Of course Erza was calm, and Lucy was anything but. In her head, the celestial wizard was panicking as well as curious. What could possibly be more important than what they had just found out? Hell, She had lied _straight_ to their faces, and they didn't seem to care at the moment.

"Sting should come with us too," Gray suddenly stated.

Now Natsu and Erza were shocked.

"No way! I'm not letting him put one foot in our guild's inn."

Sting gave a derisive laugh. "After what you did to our inn? I think that's fair. Not that I want to set foot in Fairy Tail."

Gray ignored their arguing, instead he gave a pointed look at Natsu. "You said Sting was in your 'vision', right?"

Natsu nodded.

"Then he's coming," Gray concluded, looking slightly nervous at Erza's glare.

"A vision?" Sting asked, staring at the ground.

"We don't know, but we need to get back. Now."

Nobody argued with Gray. They weren't used to him being the one in charge, but they followed him anyways. He had unofficially brokered peace between the two dragon slayers, albeit a temporary peace.

* * *

Sting wasn't used to the lively atmosphere of Fairy Tail, but found himself slightly disappointed when the guild went silent as he walked in. Sting had no idea that his presence alone could affect people to the point where they went silent, but then again, he was very out of place.

Oddly enough, he only received glares as he followed Lucy to a room that provided more privacy. He expected their behaviour towards him to more be along the lines of scathing remarks or taunting. No doubt their guild master was the reason for their silence.

As Lucy closed the door behind them, she breathed a sigh of relief, then realized she still had to explain herself to everyone else present in the room.

"Alright Natsu, spit out everything you've got from this 'vision'," Gray demanded.

Erza stood behind Gray, nodding her head in encouragement at Natsu. Sting and Lucy still didn't know what the whole vision thing was about, but they had an idea after the whole ordeal Sting went through.

"Alright..." Natsu said. The tone he used was the one where he didn't quite understand the situation, or was evaluating it.

"I got worried 'bout Lucy, and how she was missing again..." He stopped and gave a pointed glare at Sting and Lucy. "But while I was wandering around, there was something - provoking me?"

"Provoking you? Like it was calling to you?" Sting asked.

Natsu nodded begrudgingly. "Yea, how'd you know?"

"Same thing happened to me a few days ago," Sting told him nonchalantly while leaning back on the wall

"What was in the vision Natsu?" Erza questioned.

"We were in some sort of a ruined city. I heard screaming so I went to check it out and I found Sting and Lucy. Some asshole was threatening them, asking them 'bout something. They wouldn't answer so he killed them both."

Lucy looked concerned, but Sting was the one who was truly freaking out. Natsu had received a vision that seemed even more eerie than the one Sting had.

"Who was the man that- that killed us? What did he look like?" Lucy practically whispered.

"He had a robe on. I couldn't see him," Natsu said.

"What are we going to do about this?" Gray asked Erza.

"We all stay here tonight, then ask Jel- _Mystogan_ about it tomorrow."

"You know... I don't know if you Fairies have noticed, but I'm not a part of your guild. And I'm sure my guild master won't appreciate it if I don't come back tonight."

Erza huffed. "We can't be sure of that. I'm sure your own safety is more important."

"Ha. You don't know my guild master. Besides, I can handle myself."

"Fine, but we have more to discuss," Erza said sternly, crossing her arms.

"Yes, I'm sure Lucy can explain it all," Gray agreed.

Lucy took a deep breath in. "Alright... First, I'm sorry I lied to you guys. I thought that you would all feel betrayed, and after the first lie I told, it all just spiralled out of control."

"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel any semblance of betrayal, but Lucy, you should know that we're your family and would have continued to love you," Erza told her.

Gray nodded beside Erza. "Lucy, I'm not going to lie either. A lot of trouble and worry could have been avoided if you had just told us."

"Do you not understand that she felt like she had no other choice?" Sting asked. Lucy silently thanked Sting for defending her, even if she agreed with Erza and Gray's arguments. If she hadn't know that Sting belonged to Sabertooth, she would have been open but she also should have known that they'd be accepting, if a touch grudgingly.

Natsu looked at the two blondes, as if considering something, then turned away. "When did this start?"

Lucy looked taken aback by the angry tone he used, but answered regardless. "Two days before the Grand Magic Games," she almost whispered.

"We didn't know about each other's guilds at first, and felt a connection, so we continued on with our relationship," Sting elaborated.

"Lucy, you lied to me. When I asked you what you were doing out that one night, you lied. Then you lied again when I asked if you were all right. You suggested that we shouldn't fight Sabertooth, but look at all the trouble those bastards are causing us now," Natsu said, clearly hurt.

Lucy looked away from Natsu to the wall, not wanting to face her friends. They all knew Lucy had blatantly lied to them, and she didn't want to look at them and see the hurt on their faces. Perhaps she should be relieved that they knew the truth, but her problems were still far from over.

There was still the question of the vision and what it meant. Then there was Sting. Lucy could hear Sting shifting beside her and became increasingly anxious. The vision Natsu described sounded much like the one Sting had. Someone was either trying to scare them or warn them. Either way, it meant nothing good.

Sting put his hand on her shoulder for the second time that day. "Lucy, it's okay. They forgive you, and if the don't already, they will. They said it themselves," he told her, too quiet for everyone else to hear.

She nodded and turned back to her friends.

Erza's hard expression visibly softened. "We don't like you any less for this Lucy, even if he is from Sabertooth. If you wish, we won't tell the rest of the guild for now. However, you'll have to tell them when the games are over with."

"I'd like that. And I'd like you guys to know that I'm sorry. I was just so scared of what you guys would think of me."

Erza and Gray looked at her proudly, while Natsu seemed to still be hurt. Natsu had definitely accepted that the two were together, but he didn't seem happy about it.

"You called her a bitch," Natsu stated.

Sting laughed. "And what else could I have done? You came into my guild and accused me of hanging around with a Fairy Tail wizard."

"And what about the time she was all upset after you n' Rogue fought all those other wizards?" Natsu asked, arms crossed.

"A mistake on my part, and it's been dealt with. Anything else?"

Natsu simply shook his head and left the room.

Gray sighed. "Glad that's over with, now you two can talk over whatever. I'll go deal with the resident idiot. He's probably just upset you lied to him, Lucy."

"Thank you Gray, and you too Erza. I didn't think you guys would take it this lightly," Lucy said.

Erza nodded and left the room with Gray, leaving the two blondes alone again.

"Your vision, it had you and Rogue arguing about me. Did it end violently?" Lucy asked.

"Well you wasted no time asking a question," Sting said sarcastically, then continued on to say, "but no, it didn't. I don't think I even saw the end of that argument. I just saw a piece of it."

"I have no idea what's going on anymore," she said sadly. "Natsu is still clearly angry at me, you still have to lie and now people are having weird visions. My life is a mess."

In that moment, it truly was a mess, but it would get better. Lucy had to believe it would. The upcoming match would be a test of her strength and she still had lots to prove. Believing that her life would get better was the only way she could focus clearly on the naval battle.

"Sting you should get back now. I'll walk you out," Lucy said.

Sting left the room with Lucy, noticing how Fairy Tail had quieted again. He resisted the temptation to hold Lucy's hand. If he were to do so, it would make things obvious to her guild, and it was clear that she didn't need that type of distraction.

So he peacefully left without a word said.

* * *

An: sorry about the longer wait than normal. I've been very busy this past week with school, but I have a break coming up right away, so I'll get lots of writing done then! Also, naval battle is next ;)

Love you guys and thanks for your reviews!


	13. Complete Betrayal

_I just realized I've been torturing poor Sting and Lucy. It doesn't even stop here, haha sorry about that. It'll get better, I promise ; )_

* * *

Lucy woke up in a start. Her night had been spent by constant thrashing in her bed from side to side. At some point in the night, Wendy had stood by Lucy's side asking if she was alright, but the celestial wizard had denied anything was wrong, then had gone back to sleep. It was safe to say, Lucy didn't feel well-rested. But a crummy sleep wasn't going to deter her. She had a match to win for Fairy Tail.

Blearily, she continued to make small-talk with her guild mates. It wasn't the ideal morning, with clouds outside, unusually cold weather, guild mates staring at her and her foreboding match; the day wasn't shaping up nicely.

"What happened last night Lou?" Levy asked, sitting down beside Lucy.

"Levy, can I tell you later? I'm not really in the mood to talk about it right now, sorry."

Levy nodded slowly. "Is it because of your upcoming match?"

"I just don't want to let down Fairy Tail again, you know?"

"But you didn't let us down. You tried your best and that's all we can ask from you, Lucy." Levy told her.

Lucy gave Levy a small smile. Although it was not genuine, Levy took it as Lucy's acceptance. In truth, Minerva would be competing, and from what Sting had told Lucy, she had a lot to fear from Sabertooth's lady.

After finishing eating, Lucy had gone upstairs to prepare herself for the competition. She still hadn't seen Natsu that morning, and found it odd that his boisterous voice didn't occupy the room.

Noticing Erza walk by, Lucy tapped on her arm tentatively, trying to get her attention.

"Lucy?"

"Erza, have you seen Natsu at all this morning?" Lucy questioned.

"No, I can't say I have. Perhaps he went out early this morning with Happy."

Now that Lucy thought about it, she hadn't heard Happy either. The exceed was nearly as noisy as Natsu, no wonder the morning had felt so dull.

"Thanks Erza, I'll go get ready now."

As Lucy turned away from Erza and headed to her room, she couldn't help but wonder where Natsu had gone off to. He'd been upset the previous night, that was obvious. The question was, did the vision bother him, or was it the fact that she had lied to him? Either way, she didn't have time to go out searching for him that morning. Lucy had a competition to get to.

* * *

As Sting stepped into Sabertooth's booth, his heart sped up. He had faith in Lucy, yes, but Minerva possessed a powerful command of her magic. Not only that, but Minerva had no mercy for those who showed a glimmer of weakness. Lucy would have to not only outsmart Minerva, she would have to be wary of the other mages as well. Outmaneuvering was the only way Lucy could beat Minerva.

As the announcer began to name off the Wizards, Sting noticed a common pattern; they were all girls, minus Quatro Cerberus of course.

It wasn't like him to worry. In Sting's life, it was do first, think later. But now he stood back, unable to intervene, simply a spectator of fate. Rogue turned to Sting and tried to give him the most supportive look possible, having noticed Sting's agitation.

Sting glared back at Rogue, not wanting Rogue to give away anything. Little did Sting know, his behaviour that day said it all clearly. He had been nervous ever since waking, a far cry from the regularly confident and outgoing dragon slayer.

"My lady will do well," Rufus commented.

"I don't know, that Fairy Tail girl's magic specializes in water," Lector replied.

Sting wanted to hit Lector on the head. Maybe it was just paranoia, but to Sting, anything could give away his secret. _Even_ a mouthy Exceed. It felt like the slightest mention of Fairy Tail would get his guild members thinking, and then they'd find out on their own; an irrational thought.

Sting watched as the announcer started the match, and the girls started to fight. He hated to think it, but Lector's statement was correct. The Fairy Tail water mage commanded the water, but Lucy was holding her own against the water mage.

When the water mage fell out of the water, the mood in the stadium changed.

Orga chuckled darkly. "Hey Sting, it's that chick you saved. I bet Minerva is going to want some payback."

Sting was thankful their eyes were set on the match, otherwise they would have seen his muscles clenching. "I don't care," he spoke. Lies lies lies, when would they stop?

"Like she could stand up to Minerva anyways," Orga laughed.

Sting wanted to yell. Anything but keep silent like he currently was. He stood silently watching Minerva carefully evaluate Lucy, hoping the displacement wizard would have a shred of decency. Lucy had a bright mind, he knew that, but Minerva had power. Lots of power.

Sting had expected Minerva to flaunt her power, and take out Lucy as quickly as possible. Which is why he was surprised when Minerva landed her first flow on Lucy's gut.

He'd never seen Minerva use physical violence on someone. She always used her magic to assert dominance. Now, Sting could clearly see Minerva had a vendetta against Lucy. Oddly, he thought Minerva's issue with Lucy ended days ago, but he could clearly see it hadn't.

Sting waited for Lucy to try and fight back, and she did try. Lucy tried to fight back, all to no avail. Sting's anger grew when he saw Lucy's keys in Minerva's hand. Lucy took those keys with her everywhere, always careful to not damage them. And he knew from Yukino that a celestial wizard's keys were important to them.

Minerva didn't stop there. Over and over, she landed a hit on Lucy, even going as far as to laugh cruelly.

Agonizing: the only word that could fit how it felt to watch Lucy be brutalized. Sting shook violently, with uncontrolled rage, or perhaps fear for Lucy's life. He didn't know which one, and didn't care.

He didn't understand how the match was still continuing, how could they not have called it? Lucy was going to die if Minerva kept going.

But Minerva stopped, and pulled Lucy close.

The microphones could hear garbled words, too drowned out for anyone to make sense of them. Minerva spoke the words to Lucy harshly, and Sting knew what Minerva was whispering the second she ripped off Lucy's necklace.

Minerva knew.

As the gong sounded to end the match prematurely, Minerva held Lucy out of the water sphere. Sting felt his heart skip a beat as Lucy plummeted to the ground, hoping dearly that she would be okay.

Relief flooded him when Natsu and Gray broke her fall.

The stadium's crowd fell into disarray. Angry shouts, cheers and really, anything imaginable came out of their mouths.

He couldn't take it anymore, he had to get down on the field. It appeared his guild mates thought the same way, though they were likely going to the field to support Minerva. Sting's mind was elsewhere.

As Rufus and Orga stood in front of Minerva, Sting was left in the middle staring at Lucy.

Lucy's torture was the final straw. Sting would no longer hide, no longer lie. No more living a secret life.

Sting stared Minerva in the eyes, knowing there would be repercussions for what he was about to do.

"Sting..." Minerva said lowly, making sure her voice conveyed warning.

Sting didn't care. "I'm not hiding anymore. I don't care about this guild's power if this is the price," he spat.

The crowd had gone silent now, listening intently to Sting and Minerva's argument. They didn't know what the two were talking about, but they knew it had a negative connotation. It was almost as if Sting and Minerva were having a private conversation.

Sting took one last look at Minerva and backed away, joining Fairy Tail's side.

The crowd went wild with whispers.

"What's this?! Sting has joined Fairy Tail's side!" The announcer cried out.

As Sting stood beside Fairy Tail, Gray gave a nod of understanding. Now that the crowd had no idea what was going on, but picked up on the drama, they cried out for a fight.

"You'll regret this Sting," Minerva stated.

"I don't care." But he did. His life would change after this event, that was inevitable. He'd most likely be kicked out of the guild, and lose the only place he had called home for years. Maybe it was time for a change. He knew he had changed over the past week and a half, so why shouldn't his life change with him?

Sting glared down his own guild beside Fairy Tail, thankful that Rogue had chosen to stay out of the tension.

Distantly, he could hear Lucy groaning in pain as the two girls healed her. Sting resolve was strengthened. What Minerva did to Lucy was not right in any way.

"We're not going to fight. It won't help us in the end," Erza told her team.

Natsu turned around in a huff, his desire to see Lucy triumphed over his desire to fight at the moment. Sting could say the same about himself. He looked to where Lucy laid on the ground, her beautiful face now littered with bruises and cuts.

He desperately wanted to see Lucy, but he would have to wait.

What he had done was a complete act of defiance. Jiemma and Minerva would not take kindly to his actions, and if his gut feeling was right, his actions affect more than just himself.

As Sting left through one of the hallways, he heard footsteps that were advancing quickly. He turned to see Minerva rushing towards him.

She slammed him against the wall, and he struggled against her iron grip.

"Do you know what you've done?!" She seethed.

"I haven't done anything wrong," he spat.

Minerva laughed humorlessly. "My father will be more than furious for your display. You'll be kicked out of the guild."

"So..?" Sting asked cautiously. He was already aware that would happen.

Minerva let go of his shoulders and turned around with a flourish. "Despite what Dobingal thinks, he is no replacement for any of us. I'm no fool, I know if you leave, we stand no chance against Fairy Tail."

"Then why the hell would you do that to Lucy if you knew?!" Sting asked.

"She needed to be taught a lesson, you did too! 'Get in the way of victory and you're out' my father always said."

"And what? You thought that would make me want to stay in the guild?" Sting questioned venomously.

Minerva laughed. "No, but this will."

She gave a wave of her arm and magic materialized. For a moment, Sting thought she would attack him too. Instead, he was surprised but a crying Lector.

"I'll convince my father to let you stay. The catch is, Sabertooth has to win the games, or Lector won't be of this world anymore."

Sting hated Minerva. How far was too far for the pursuit of power? What would she do next just to prove a point? She was _blackmailing_ him, just so Sabertooth could prove themselves.

"What's next Minerva? Murder? Though I think you came pretty close to murder today. I'll play your stupid game, and when this ends, I'm leaving," Sting said grudgingly.

He gave one last look at Lector before turning on his heels to leave.

It was like the day's events hadn't sunk in fully yet, and he was numb. At some point later that day it would all come crashing down on him, the worry, the stress and the hatred.

Unknown to him, and everyone else in the arena, a star pendant lay on the dirty ground, all but forgotten in the chaos.

* * *

 _An: Sorry for posting this on Halloween. I promise Lucy and Sting will catch a break at some point ;)_

 _I love reading your reviews guys, keep 'em coming!_


	14. Can't Pretend

There was fear and panic in the air, Sting could feel it as he turned the corner to Fairy Tail's hall. People were rushing in and out of Lucy's room, presumably wanting to know if the Celestial Mage was doing okay.

Sting felt he had proven himself a non-threat to Fairy Tail, so he no longer minded if the guild knew about him and Lucy. If they didn't already, they certainly would in the tabloids that were sure to come out in a few days.

As Sting entered the room Lucy resided in, the Fairy Tail wizards that were currently in the room turned to stare at him. He went unaffected by their gazes, and instead to Lucy's side.

Natsu moved away from Lucy's unconscious side respectfully, probably for her sake, not Sting's. To Sting, the pink haired man seemed off. He wasn't protesting, shouting about revenge or being his loud self.

"Sting what you did was..." Erza started, fishing for the right word. "Commendable. But I fear that you'll face retaliation for your actions."

"I already have," he told her brusquely. He wouldn't have been as snappy with them, but it felt like he wasn't himself, his mind was still reeling from Minerva's threat and Lucy's injuries.

"Care to elaborate?" Gray asked.

Erza shot the other Fairy Tail members a glare, clearly wanting a private chat. Most of the group fled quickly, but one blue haired Mage remained.

"I deserve to know what's going on!" Levy demanded, stomping her foot on the ground.

Sting laughed at the small girl's bravery.

Levy turned her head to look at Sting in defiance. "Lucy is my best friend. I'm tired of being left out!"

Erza put her hands on her hips, signifying her stubbornness; in other words, her answer to Levy's demand was no.

"Erza, it's okay. If she's Lucy's friend she deserves to know," _Especially_ after some of the stories Lucy had told him about her. He remembered one particular night when Lucy told him about the time she and Levy solved the entire guild's problem because no one else wanted to read.

"Alright then, _Sting Eucliffe_ ," she said, venom dripping from her voice as she spoke his name. Levy blamed Sting for everything that had happened to Lucy, that much was certain. "Tell me why my friend has been running off at night. Tell me why I've had to go searching for her, scared that she was in some sort of danger. I think it's become clear now, but I need to hear it."

"I've been going to meet Lucy almost every night. We'd kept it a secret until we couldn't anymore. You Fairies are the ones who got paranoid and chased after her," Sting defended.

"And what about that night I had the vision?" Natsu cut in. "What if we couldn't find you two?"

"She didn't want anyone to know, and you've seen why my guild can't know!" Sting nearly shouted. He knew that if there was one more argument, he would snap. Lector and Lucy occupied his thoughts completely. Concern clouded his mind, and he didn't know if he could be pushed any further.

Everyone in the room stared at him, like he was a volatile man capable of causing damage to them at any second. Hadn't he proved otherwise?

"I'm sorry," he said, putting his head in his hands. "I just came here to check on Lucy, not argue. Do you know when she's going to wake up?" He couldn't believe that he was having a near break down in front of these Fairy Tail wizards.

"Anytime now. You can thank Wendy and Chelia for fixing most of the damage. Without them, Lucy would be in horrible condition," Erza explained.

Sting nodded. "Can I be alone with her?" He wouldn't be completely alone, as there was another Fairy Tail wizard beside Lucy's bed, but it would be close enough.

Levy and Natsu looked reluctant to leave, but left with Gray and Erza nonetheless.

That left Sting with an unconscious Lucy. He could hear her exhaling slowly, as someone who was sleeping would. He turned to look at her bruised face, finally getting a close up on the damage Minerva had caused.

Places on Lucy's face showed evidence of healing. Some bruises had already faded and her cuts were closed. Sting held Lucy's hand, noticing a particularly nasty bruise as he moved her arm. Lucy muttered something as she was moved, but didn't stir.

* * *

"You're just going to leave him in there with her?" Levy asked once they had left the room.

"After the display he just made, I don't think it would make sense to hurt her," Gray reasoned.

Levy sighed. "I know it's just... I'm hurt that Lucy didn't tell me."

"She didn't tell any of us. I feel the same," Natsu said, looking down. He had felt especially hurt that Lucy kept the secret from him. He remembered how upset she had looked after their confrontation with Sting and Rogue. He had asked if she was okay, knowing she was acting weird. Instead, Lucy lied to his face. He thought that they shared everything with each other.

"We shouldn't take it personally. Lucy didn't lie to us because she didn't trust us, she was just afraid," Erza said.

"I guess. I still can't help but feel hurt," Levy sympathized. "Poor Lou."

What they were forgetting, was Sting's own bravery. He stood up for them, but they were still too focused on other aspects of him to care. Of course they recognized that he defended Lucy, but not in the way they should have. They were still too focused on Lucy's lies to see that there was still danger to come from his defiance.

It was then, Gray realized that Sting hadn't explained the consequences to them.

* * *

"Lucy, I'm sorry I even got you into this mess in the first place. I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm sorry. Normally I'd take this in stride, and try to fix everything but I'm.. Lost. I won't have a guild soon, I'm the reason this happened to you and if Sabertooth doesn't win the games Lector will... he'll..." Sting trailed off. He couldn't finish his own explanation.

It was still like thinking back on a nightmare, seeing Lucy being tortured. Seeing Lector crying in Minerva's grasp.

He had to win the games. He had to keep his promise to Lector. He had to win so he could be free.

In a rare moment, Sting let all his walls fall down. He felt so alone with Lector gone and Lucy unconscious. He could go see Rogue, but it wasn't the same. Especially after the vision he had.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted, gripping Lucy's hand tighter.

So the cost of the lies and secrecy came crashing down on him, yet through it all, he couldn't bring himself to resent his relationship with Lucy. He had changed to be more open, less arrogant. But the largest change could be found in the way he carried himself, he was more cautious now.

"Sting?" Lucy asked, blinking rapidly.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel like I got hit by a train," she grumbled.

"At least you're awake."

"Yeah. Where's everyone else?" She asked quietly.

"They were here visiting you, and just left."

"That's nice. Thanks for visiting me, I know your guild must be missing you."

He had forgotten that Lucy didn't know about his betrayal. It was better she stayed blissfully ignorant in her sleepy state, so she would sleep better. He could see her eyelids blinking rapidly, in a vain attempt to keep her eyes open.

He shut his eyes too for a moment, because he wasn't ready to deal with his guild master. He knew that he would be receiving a punishment worse than that of Yukino and for the first time in a long time, he let himself feel fear.

Fear kept you alive in dangerous situations, he knew that, but this fear was different. It was a fear of what was to come. As he watched Lucy finally slip into sleep, he wished he could have that blissful ignorance of the world.

* * *

An: So I have a question, which Fairy Tail character is your favourite? I'm just curious.

Also, you have no idea how hard it is to write Sting at this time. His character in the anime had gone from arrogant to caring and cheery in such a short time. Right now, he's in the middle of that transition and I'm having trouble writing it.

Anyways, thank you so much for all the follows, favourites and reviews! They all mean so much to me! You guys are the best.


	15. Injustice

As Sting walked to his guild, he dreaded every step he took. Each time, a step brought him closer to Sabertooth's guild. The last place he wanted to be. He knew that there would be no running, for that would only yield worse consequences, so he continued trudging on.

When he came up to the doors he had left that same day, he felt like a different person. He would not be welcomed back this time, he was well-aware of that. And yet, he continued on to open the doors. At first, he wasn't noticed by the talkative guild. But then people started to notice him, and the guild hushed down into quiet whispers.

Sting walked through the crowds of people confidently, not caring about the wayward rumours of himself that he heard. He, in fact, did not 'want to get into Fairy Tail', nor did he plan some 'crazy revenge plot against Minerva'. He couldn't believe most of them didn't pick up that he stood up for Lucy, but it was no matter. They'd know soon anyways.

Sting opened the door to his temporary room, feeling empty when Lector's cheerful voice didn't greet him. Looking outside the window, he realized that it was late at night. Sting felt exhausted, but he knew sleep would not come to him easily.

Instead, he went to the balcony, enjoying the beautiful view it provided of Crocus. Though it was late, he could see people moving about, the lights from the streets and the shining castle. He'd always wondered what the inside of the castle looked like, maybe someday he'd visit it.

But then, he looked up to the stars and was painfully reminded of Lucy. She didn't deserve to be tortured. If only he had been more careful, more secretive, and not let his emotions rule himself. She'd be there, seeing the stars, and telling him about them.

"Sting, open the door!" A voice nearly yelled.

Sting snapped out of his thoughts, and opened the door.

"Took you long enough," Rogue stated.

"Fro thinks so too!"

Sting looked down to the tiny exceed beside Rogue, and closed his eyes tightly. He was reminded that Minerva had Lector now. He had no choice but to win.

"Sting, tell me what happened today," Rogue said as he walked inside. He had noticed the empty look Sting had on his face as he walked into the guild.

"I think most of it is self-explanatory. Lucy will be fine, she's not the problem right now."

"Then what is?"

"Minerva. She has Lector, and if I don't win the games she's going to kill him," Sting explained, choking out the last bit.

Rogue looked taken aback by Sting's behaviour. In the years they had been friends, Rogue had never seen Sting as angry and defiant as he had been after Lucy's match. Had never seen Sting as upset as he was currently. It felt wrong to see Sting behave as anything but the aloof white dragon slayer.

"She has to be hiding him somewhere. There's no way she can get away with this," Rogue said, deciding it was best not to acknowledge the change in Sting.

"Don't you think I've thought of that? She's a displacement wizard, there's no way we'd get Lector back without her consent. Me and you both know how strong she is, it's not like we can beat her into giving back Lector."

"Then we'll figure out something," Rogue said.

Sting frowned. "No. We win the games, there's no other option."

"And if we lose?" Rogue asked, angry Sting was ignoring rationality.

"We. Will. Win" Sting emphasized.

"Are you willing to go as far as Minerva to win?"

Sting turned back to the balcony. "How could you even ask that after today?"

"If you're going to have that attitude about winning the games, you may have to use those tactics," Rogue stated, crossing his arms.

"I know that the games are just a competition. We can still win fairly."

Rogue shook his head. "You know we're competing next. Just don't go down the path the rest of this guild has."

Rogue sighed, then left the room. Frosch, who had been standing by quietly, left with him, looking back at Sting sadly.

Sting felt himself relax once he was alone, and lied down. He may have screwed up his life irreversibly that day, but he found that he had few regrets.

* * *

Lucy awoke with a start. She tried to raise herself from her bed, only to find that both her arms protested. She then became acutely aware of the dull pain surging through her body from various places. If she were asked what felt the worst, she'd immediately reply that her head felt the worst- possibly a migraine- but she didn't know.

Lucy lifted up her head again so that she could get a look at her surroundings. The infirmary had no lights on, and not a sound could be heard aside from Elfman's occasional snore.

Lucy put her head back on the pillow, deciding to go back to sleep. Only to be startled as she heard something fall on the ground. She could hear the glass shatter on the ground, and the individual pieces as they slid across the floor.

"Hello?" Lucy called out.

Lucy knew that nobody was around aside from the occasional guard. So it was unlikely somebody would break into her room. But she couldn't tell if someone had as the room didn't have a single light source, in other words, it was pitch black.

No more sound could be heard, and she didn't feel anything. So she blamed the broken glass on gravity. Deciding she was safe, she briefly closed her eyes.

But she didn't feel right, like there was something in her presence but she couldn't see it. Lucy opened her eyes again and screamed (italics). Two red eyes on the ceiling, seemingly two-dimensional, stared back at her. Then, she lost consciousness.

-break-

Lucy could see _herself_. How many people could say they saw themselves from third person? Nobody she knew. In a way, it wasn't new to her. She'd had plenty of experience seeing her own body in third person thanks to Gemini and Edolas Lucy.

But it wasn't the same as now. This Lucy was _truly_ her. Personality and all.

Though, that certainly wasn't the most concerning part. The same man that had been described by Natsu stood over Sting's collapsed body. Lucy couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

The vision Lucy cried out in anguish and ran towards Sting. The man in the cloak finally backed away and Lucy got a good look at Sting.

His abdomen had a wound going from hip to ribs. It bled profusely, yet it was a superficial cut. The shadowed room prevented any chance Lucy had at figuring out the location. She still had questions. Who was the person in the cloak? What kind of situation had she and Sting gotten into?

To her, the premonition served merely as a warning. Yet, the vision didn't tell her how to fix these events or how to stop them from happening in the first place.  
With that train of thought, Lucy was torn from the shadowy vision.

* * *

"Are you alright Lucy?" Wendy asked worriedly.

"Fine," Lucy replied, breathing heavily. "Or at least, as fine as I can be considering this," she gestured to her body.

"That's good to hear. I came in here because I heard you scream, and came in here. Elfman and I were really worried when you wouldn't wake up."

Lucy nodded absently, looking up to the ceiling while she did so. The eyes were absent. The vision was like a nightmare, only more vivid, and she could remember all of it. She couldn't figure out what it meant for the life of her. If Sting and Natsu had these visions, were they all involved in creating those events?

"Lucy, will you be okay? I cleaned up the glass for you."

"Thank you Wendy. I'll be fine, I just had a bad dream is all," Lucy assured the young dragon slayer.

"Oh. I hope you get better soon, Lucy! Also, you were really brave in the fight today," she said, then left the room.

* * *

Sting stood at the front of his guild mates. He had been called down with the rest of them, presumably to receive his punishment. Whispers ran rampant through the crowd of Sabertooth mages, most of which were quelled by Jiemma's booming voice.

"Sting, you dare defy your guild's rules?" His master asked.

"Yes master," Sting replied grudgingly.

Behind him, he could hear his teammates fidgeting, whether they were nervous about losing Sting as a teammate or anticipating his punishment, Sting couldn't tell.

"Oh? And what is your reason?" Jiemma asked. Though it was a question, the man had a way of making it sound more like a threat.

Sting didn't know how to answer that question. It was an answer that could ultimately decide his fate in the guild. He didn't want to outright say that he did it for Lucy, but he also didn't want it to seem like he hated the guild. Sting had the games to win and Lector to save.

"What Minerva did is wrong," Sting stated. Jiemma most likely wouldn't like Sting's answer, nor would Minerva, but he had stated the truth.

Jiemma gave a dry laugh. "It is the way of Sabertooth. The weak deserve what they get."

Sting tensed, furious at the statement, but did not act out.

"Sting, remove your guild mark," Jiemma commanded.

"Wait!" Minerva shouted.

All heads in the crowd turned to look at her in curiosity. How had they not figured it out? Lector was absent, yet nobody noticed.

"Sting should remain in the guild until the game's end. He is a powerful wizard, it can't be denied. We use him until he isn't needed."

Jiemma looked taken aback by his daughter's statement, then he considered it. Of course he would, Sting thought. If it meant power and self-gain, the rules could be mended. Sting found himself hating the guild more and more every passing day, and continually amazed at all the wrong he hadn't recognized.

"And why would he have any reason to fight for the guild?" Jiemma questioned.

"I'll do it. Besides, the crowd will be disappointed if they don't see the twin dragons," Sting said, matter-of-factly.

"You agree with this, Minerva?"

"I trust he'll follow through with this," Minerva told him snidely.

Sting had to prevent his face from contorting in anger.

"Then it is decided. Let this be a warning to the rest of the guild. If you cross our rules, you will regret it," Jiemma stated, dismissing Sabertooth.

Sting couldn't help but feel like he'd won nothing at all from the meeting. It felt like a trial where he was found to be innocent, only to be put into jail anyways. He didn't feel the freedom he should have felt.

"Welcome back to the team," Orga mocked.

Rufus simply turned away from Sting, while Rogue looked at the dragon slayer in sympathy. Then there was Minerva.

She mock-smiled at Sting. The complete image of smug. She was still getting away with her blackmail scheme, and it upset Sting that she could. Nobody seemed to notice the exceed that was absent from his side.

"I'm going to win," he stated to Minerva.

"Good luck against Natsu," she replied, then walked away.

* * *

An: My birthday is coming up this week, as well as a large break. So expect some more chapters.

Also, I have another questions. What's your favourite Fairy Tail ship? After getting caught up on the manga, mine is definitely Gruvia.

Hope you enjoyed reading. And keep those reviews coming!

 _And no, I totally didn't post this at 3:30 am_


	16. The Bed I've Made

_You guys have no idea how happy your reviews make me, seriously. Whenever I hear my email notification go off, I immediately check for a review. And if the email is a review, I start smiling like an idiot._

 _Also, at the request of a reviewer, I'm trying to make my chapters longer. It's always been a challenge for me, but I'm trying. ;)_

* * *

Morning came, and Lucy awoke peacefully. But she was still in pain; her own torso was a testament to that, she found out, as she sat up.

Lucy looked to her side and saw Elfman still sleeping soundly.

"Some things never change," she said to herself as he snored particularly loudly.

A knock sounded from the door and Lucy found herself wondering who it could possibly be. Wendy never knocked - or anyone in Fairy Tail for that matter - so maybe it was someone from another guild.

Lucy watched as the door opened and Natsu's pink hair appeared through the crack. Lucy almost laughed at the sight. Natsu trying to be quiet was definitely new.

Once he noticed Lucy awake and staring at him, he opened the door, striding over to Lucy's side.

She hadn't a thought on why he was visiting her this early in the morning. The past few days he had clearly been avoiding her. Why? She didn't know. He didn't have many reasons to do so, she thought. For all she knew, this could just be another one of those times where he was completely ignorant of what he was doing wrong.

"Hey, Natsu..." Lucy said apprehensively.

"Hey," he replied, not meeting her eyes.

"What's up? Shouldn't you be enjoying the break?"

He nodded, "I felt guilty 'bout the past few days. I still don't know what to think about you and... Sting. I just wish you'd told me is all."

Lucy visibly relaxed. "Natsu, it's okay. I shouldn't have been keeping secrets from you guys anyways. You're my family. But... Sting and I, it happened so fast. I was afraid you'd all shut me out or hate me."

Natsu frowned. "We'll always be your family Luce, no matter what."

"Thank you, Natsu. Also, I've been meaning to ask, but what happened after I went unconscious? Sting didn't seem like himself yesterday."

Natsu blinked. "He didn't tell you?"

"No. Is there something I'm missing?" She queried.

"Everyone knows now," came a voice behind Natsu.

Natsu whipped around to see Rogue.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu demanded, standing up.

"Natsu it's ok. Rogue has helped me before."

Rogue moved further into the room in acknowledgment. "I can't stay here long, but I needed to tell you that Stings being held by blackmail. Minerva has Lector, and will kill him if Sabertooth doesn't win the games."

"What?! She can't do that! There has to be some sort of law against it!" Lucy cried.

"Even if there were, it wouldn't help us," Rogue said, head bowed.

"You're just going to let her do this?!" Natsu asked, outraged at the thought.

"I'll think of something. For now, Sting's strategy is to simply _win_."

Lucy shifted in her bed, struggling to sit upright. She knew that Sting was competing in the next game... And Natsu would be too.

"But, the match tomorrow?" Lucy tentatively prodded Natsu. She was hopping for some sort of answer, there was no way they could let Sting lose. Not if there was a life on the line.

"So you want me to just throw the match tomorrow?" Natsu questioned, quickly becoming more angry.

"No Natsu, I wasn't saying that. But would you really allow them to lose with Lector's life hanging on it?" Lucy asked, not quite believing her ears. Natsu wouldn't allow Lector to die, right?

"That's assuming Fairy Tail will be able to win," Rogue added, crossing his arms.

Rogue's comment only served to anger Natsu further. "As if! I'll talk to Gajeel about this, but don't go thinking you guys can just beat us!"

"Natsu..." Lucy interjected.

"We'll fight fairly, and if it really comes down to it, we'll figure something out," Natsu said in resolution.

"I'll tell Sting about what you've said. I have to go now," Rogue dismissed, and left the room quickly.

"Geez, that guy needs to lighten up a bit," Natsu offhandedly commented.

"Natsu," Lucy snapped.

"Huh?" Natsu asked, looking surprised at the sharp tone she used.

"I still don't know what happened after I went unconscious. How does everyone know about Sting and me?"

"Both teams jumped down, because there was a fight about to break out. Sting sided with us, instead of his guild. And I guess something happened with him and Minerva after?" he explained, rubbing the back of his head.

"You guys fought?!"

"As if. Erza wouldn't let us. We were totally ready to beat up the bastards, too."

"Wait, how did people react to that?" She asked.

Now she wished that she'd been up to see it. Sting had actually stood up against his guild. She could only wonder what the crowd though seeing one of their favourite wizards stand against his own guild.

"Now that I think about it, they were really silent. I still can't believe they cheered when Minerva beat you like that. Say Lucy, what did Minerva whisper to you?"

Right, _that_. Lucy had forgotten in between all the action and drama. She could remember it so vividly, even now. She could still hear the cries and cheers from the arena, could still remember the sun glaring on her face. Most of all, she remembered the pain in her scalp as Minerva yanked her hair and brought her closer.

 _"Did you two think it could be kept secret so easily? You should know to never mess with Sabertooth, Fairy,"_ Minerva had whispered venomously.

Next Lucy knew, her necklace had been ripped off violently. As it fell to the ground, Lucy could feel everything coming down around her.

Natsu was now staring at Lucy worriedly now. "Lucy?"

Lucy grasped for a chain around her neck and found nothing. "Natsu, my necklace. Did anyone pick it up?"

"The one Minerva yanked off?"

"Yes, that one."

"Not that I know of. There was too much going on."

Lucy tried to stop the tears from leaving her eyes, she truly did. She felt terrible as they rolled down her face, and her façade finally broke. _So this was the fallout of all their lies._

Natsu noticed Lucy silently crying and he swore his heart almost broke. He hadn't seen her cry like she was since the Michelle incident.

"I can go looking for it, if you want!" He said quickly.

"No, no it's okay. It's my fault this all happened anyways."

"Don't you dare say that Lucy! You were just too scared to tell anyone, it doesn't mean you deserved to be tortured for it."

Lucy couldn't help it as a sob racked her body. "But if I had told you all, y-you wouldn't have asked Sting about it wh-when you went to Sabertooth's inn. Minerva wouldn't have known if I had just told you."

Natsu looked at her sadly. He found that he didn't know what to say, which was a first.

"Lucy, just know that we're your family and we'll always forgive you. Maybe lying wasn't the best thing to do, but we all forgive you."

Lucy knew he was right. Lying wasn't the answer to her problems, and never would be. She felt intense relief in knowing that Fairy Tail would never abandon her, even after all that had transpired. But the issues she and Sting had created were far from over, they weren't the only people affected by the lies. Now Natsu and Gajeel had to deal with it in the next match, and it was _her_ fault.

"Natsu, I also had a vision last night..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked in surprise.

"I didn't know what to think of it at first. It was like the one you had, and like Sting's too."

"Sting had one?" Natsu asked, slightly angry again. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"It didn't seem related to yours, but now... I don't know."

"Then what happened in yours, Lucy?"

"The same cloaked man you described, he hurt Sting. I don't know how, but he did. I screamed. That's all that happened."

"What about Sting's?"

"He and Rogue were arguing about me. Sting said that he didn't look okay in the vision."

Natsu took a while to process the information. "You still haven't told me what Minerva said."

"What does that have to do with the vision?" She questioned.

Natsu shrugged. "Maybe nothing, you never know."

"She said that she knew about me and Sting, and that I shouldn't mess with Sabertooth. I still don't know why she got so upset."

Natsu stood up from the chair he was sitting on. "I have to go get Erza. We need to talk to Jellal about all of this."

"Wait, Natsu! I'm coming too!" She said.

"Wendy said you need to stay in bed for at least another day," Natsu replied, then left before Lucy could argue further.

Lucy was left to her own thoughts again, wondering how she allowed herself to mess up so badly.

* * *

Sting sat at the inn's bar, and drank, never feeling so isolated in his life. He wanted to check on Lucy, to hear Lector's laugh, or even Rogue's calming voice.

None were an option as Minerva was keeping a close eye on him.

As Sting took another swig of his drink, Minerva sat down beside him.

"You owe me for saving you, Sting."

"Get the hell away from me," he replied.

Minerva laughed. "I can take Lector away at anytime, and this is how you talk to me?"

"You wouldn't hurt him until the games are done," Sting stated, placing his cup down not-so-gently. He then turned to Minerva.

"And just _what_ , do I owe you?" He seethed. The rest of his guild mates avoided him like he was the plague, and he had nowhere else to go. Aside from Lector and Lucy, he had nothing left to lose.

"You'll see," Minerva replied cryptically. She then got up and left Sting's side. Sting felt a chill work its way through his body at her, dare he think, threat.

Again, he was alone, and couldn't help feeling like he couldn't have messed up more.

"Sting," Rogue called.

Sting looked behind himself, glad to see his friend. "Yeah?"

"Come up to my room, I talked to her," Rogue said quietly.

Sting nodded, and followed his fellow dragon slayer.

"What happened?" Sting asked, closing the door behind him.

Frosch leapt at Rogue happily upon seeing him return. Suddenly, the need to see Lector just intensified.

"We told Lucy what happened while she was unconscious, and-"

"We?"

"Natsu was there, I was getting to that. Anyways, I asked about the match tomorrow, and I'm not sure what's going to happen. He said that it wouldn't be easy to beat Fairy Tail, then he said that he'd figure out something if it did come to that."

Sting felt a pang of jealously at Natsu getting to be by Lucy's side, but brushed it aside.

"We'll beat them tomorrow, Rogue. We've been training for years, and it's time we show them," Sting smirked.

"Fro thinks so too!"

Rogue smiled at his exceed. "I guess you're right... But I still can't wonder..."

"There is no buts. We can do it, I'm sure."

"Then make sure you don't do anything you'll regret tomorrow."

Sting's response was simply a frown, then he walked out.

* * *

Lucy was slightly surprised when she saw Erza, Jellal, Gray, Wendy, Charla, Happy and Natsu all enter the room while she was eating her supper.

"You could have told me you were bringing them here, Natsu!"

Natsu shrugged. "I already caught Jellal up on the way here. So now we need to figure out what to do about it."

"Any ideas, Lucy?" Jellal asked.

"I thought Zeref at first, but what would he possibly want with me and Sting?"

"You said that the person in the cloak wanted to know where somebody was, correct?" Jellal looked to Natsu.

Natsu nodded.

"Then perhaps the man in the cloak is Zeref, and he wants to know where someone is."

"Possibly, but it doesn't explain how they're having these visions. Do you feel anything strange about it, like-" Erza was interrupted by Charla squirming out of Wendy's arms, then leaving the room. They watched as Wendy chased after her exceed.

"Charla, wait!" Happy exclaimed, running after the two.

"That was weird," Gray commented.

"As I was going to ask, did you feel Zeref's presence in the past few days?" Erza asked.

Jellal shook his head. "No. None of us have. It's strange that this is happening without that ominous feeling. That's why I'm doubting it's Zeref in these visions you've been getting. Where is Sting, you said he got a different vision than you two."

"He... Can't be here. I'd tell you to go talk to him, but it would be putting both yourself and him in danger," Lucy responded.

"Do you think it's Raven Tail?" Gray questioned.

"They want to get revenge on Gramps, but I don't think they'd go that far," Natsu responded.

"Right. If you have more information, please let me know. I'll look into this with what little we know," Jellal said, then put the hood to his cloak up and left.

"That really didn't help with much," Gray spoke.

"I'm sure we'll figure this out in due time," Erza replied.

Natsu snorted, and they looked to him in surprise. "What if it's too late and Lucy or Sting dies?"

"I'm right here Natsu, don't talk about us like that!"

Erza crossed her arms and gave Natsu the 'don't question me look' "We don't even know if these visions will come true. We'll be careful, and look into it, but there's nothing we can do right now."

"Fine, but I think someone should stay here with Lucy and make sure she's alright," Natsu said.

"Fair enough. I'll do it then," Erza volunteered.

Nobody in the room questioned her. They all knew Erza was the strongest wizard in the room.

* * *

"Charla, what's wrong?" Wendy asked the distraught exceed.

"It's nothing to worry about Wendy."

"Yes it is! You never run away from conversations like that!"

Charla shivered, trying to get the image of a crying Lucy out of her head. Her premonition related to the other's, but she didn't want to tell them. She was already having a difficult time processing The Mercurial castle falling.

"Charla please. You can tell me, and I'll help the best I can," Wendy offered optimistically.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Charla shook her head, not wanting to upset the girl with the haunting knowledge.

"I'll talk to Lucy, and when we get everything sorted out, I'll tell you about it. I promise. Happy, come with me," she said, then walked back to the room where Lucy was staying.

Wendy nodded, watching Charla and Happy walk away, still withholding the secret.

Lucy likely wouldn't like the information Charla was about to give her, but it needed to be said.

* * *

 _This is the longest it's ever taken me to write a chapter. I don't know if it's because of the length or because I always lose confidence in my writing half way through, but here you guys go!_

 _Also, so sorry, my shoulders have been another factor in why this has taken so long to get out._


	17. Dazed

"You sure you're ready?" Rogue asked.

Sting dipped his head, "Ready as I could be," he replied solemnly.

Rogue had a terrible feeling that the upcoming match against Natsu and Gajeel would go wrong. They could not afford to lose the match, as Sabertooth hovered precariously above second place. For all he knew, Minerva could be feeling vindictive and take out Lector for the loss. Not only that, but Jiemma clearly wanted Sting hurt for the act of defiance. The only reason Sting could walk around unharmed could be attributed to his skill as a Mage.

That meant that the upcoming match was worth more than just the points it would earn Sabertooth. It could mean life and death. And despite what Sting had said, Rogue couldn't be sure that Sting wouldn't take it too far; to do something he'd regret.

"Stop looking at me like that," Sting admonished, "I'm fine, I swear."

"I never asked if you were okay."

The corners of Sting's lips turned down into a frown.

"Whatever. Let's do this."

* * *

Natsu sat at Lucy's side, upset that she would not be able to watch the upcoming match.

"Promise me that you'll go easy on them? There's more than points at stake here, Natsu," Lucy said softly.

"I promise... But I don't know 'bout Gajeel. Do you think he will if I tell him what's going on?"

"It's worth a try."

Natsu nodded, "maybe I'll try telling Levy. He might listen to her."

Lucy smiled encouragingly. She was glad that Natsu was willing to try for her, that he was helping her fix up the mess she and Sting had created. The guilt she felt was still substantial, but she finally felt like the problem was on the way to being solved. Sting and her relationship could be called a healthy one.

The damage caused by all the lies became apparent to Lucy, now that she could see the hurt on her friend's faces from being lied to. The worst was the fallout of Sting inadvertently telling the entirety of Sabertooth about their relationship. Sooner or later people would connect the dots; they'd figure out the reason Sting stood up wasn't just for his beliefs.

"Natsu, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you," Lucy told him.

"I already told you that it's alright. You made a mistake and I forgive you, Luce."

"I know... I just feel so bad. What do you think will happen after the games?"

"I don't know what is going on with Sting and his guild, but I think you two will be free to be together after this all blows over," Natsu said.

"That sounds nice," Lucy wondered out loud.

"Lucy, I have to get ready for the match now, I'll see you when it's over. I don't want you to worry, okay?"

"Okay, Natsu. I trust you," she smiled softly.

* * *

Sting didn't feel ready for the match, not physically, but mentally. Typically, the shining promise of a victory would motivate him to do better in a competition, but it wouldn't be like that this time.

This time, Sting would be distracted by the ever-present thought of Lector. Not only had He let Lector down, but now Lector's fate was in Sting's hands. Having that pressure on him during the match would not bode well, he was sure of it.

So why was he holding his thoughts back from Rogue? His friend was currently making sure his clothes were secure and going through warm-ups, seemingly at peace. Sting knew better. Rogue was good at coving up his fear, and even better at covering up emotional distress.

"I'm sure we could beat them..." Sting began, bringing his thoughts to Rogue's attention, "but I'm still nervous. Why?"

Rogue stood up from a lunge to look at Sting, "it's more than likely because Lector isn't safe. You're not used to that feeling. I'm actually surprised how well you've contained yourself... If I were in the same position, I don't know if I could do the same."

"You always do well at hiding how you feel," Sting stated.

"Not when it comes to Frosch."

"I guess so. Anyways, the match starts in five. We have no other choice but to win," Sting said.

"Right," Rogue replied with a look of determination.

* * *

The cheers from the crowd were ear-shattering. There could be no doubt that the audience was more than excited for the fight between dragon slayers. Sting could hear the crowd through the walls, hell, he could feel the energy from them.

Sting looked over to Rogue.

"Ready?" He asked.

Rogue nodded.

The two walked confidently out into the crowd, whose cheers escalated as the contestants became visible.

Sting glared at Natsu and Gajeel from where he stood, despite the harsh sunlight in his eyes, firmly set on victory. He could not lose. He wouldn't allow it. He had always looked up to Natsu, and still did to a degree, but that didn't matter anymore. Now, what mattered was not only keeping his promise to Lector, but to _save_ Lector. It was no longer a game.

"The match is 30 minutes! Let the game begin!" Came the announcer.

This was it. Time to show the audience what he had been working towards for seven years. Time to beat Fairy Tail, more specifically, Natsu.

Keeping in sync with Rogue would be necessary for the fight, and Sting kept that in mind as he and the shadow dragon slayer charged forwards at Fairy Tail's team.

Sting took on Natsu and Rogue engaged Gajeel. They had never formally agreed to it, rather it just happened.

Sting threw an upper-cut punch to Natsu's gut, causing Natsu to back up in pain for a moment before recovering.

Sting was acutely aware of Rogue and Gajeel fighting beside him, so he purposely maneuvered Natsu away from the two by backing up.

"I've waited a long time for this moment," Sting taunted.

Natsu growled in response, then sent a flaming punch towards Sting's face.

Sting jumped to the side, still not using his magic. He couldn't tell if Natsu was really trying or not as the pink haired man tried to nail Sting in the face again with a poorly aimed punch.

Sting nearly laughed in response, deciding he could wait to use his magic.

"Forgot how to punch?" Sting asked. Despite the somber mood he went into the match with, he couldn't help but taunt Natsu.

"Fire dragon's roar!" Natsu yelled.

Sting narrowly avoided the beam of fire, but it still didn't seem like Natsu was fully into the match. Part of Sting wanted to fight him for real, but a larger part of Sting wanted to be sure of Lector's safety.

Sting recalled a time before the games were about to start where he had a conversation with Lucy. She had asked what they would do in the case they had to fight each other. Sting had said they would do it for real, rather than fake a fight. Lucy compared him to Natsu when he had said that.

Now he was faced with a dilemma. Sting wanted to test his skill for real, and felt like a fake by fighting like this. Yet, in a way, it was necessary. Sting decided he would at least do away with the taunts.

Sting felt himself relax mentally now that he realized Natsu's intentions. He still wasn't sure of Gajeel, however.

Sting distanced himself further from Rogue and Gajeel. Natsu followed Sting cautiously, unsure of his intentions.

Sting charged at Natsu, aiming a sweeping kick to Natsu's leg. Natsu pivoted, shifting his weight to his left side and retaliated with a punch.

Sting caught the punch and pulled Natsu close. "Might wanna make it look like you're actually trying," Sting hissed.

Part of Sting felt shame that there was a safeguard in the match. Couldn't he have just beaten Natsu anyways? It was better there was no chance of failure, in any case, Sting supposed.

Natsu jumped back, heading to where Gajeel and Rogue were having a near one-sided fight.

Rogue stopped his vicious onslaught and stood by Sting's side.

Natsu snickered at the wounds Gajeel had received, causing the iron dragon slayer to glare in return.

Some team they were.

Sting and Rogue nodded to each other, signalling teamwork. They ran towards the arguing dragon slayers, causing them to look at Sting and Rogue.

Before the twin dragons reached Natsu and Gajeel, they switched places, effectively creating surprise and making Natsu and Gajeel re-think their defence.

Again, Sting was faced with fighting Natsu one-on-one.

For a while, the two traded blows. Natsu was slowly using more powerful attacks, causing Sting to retaliate. The duel wasn't at all like the one back in the Sabertooth inn. Back then, Sting had felt cornered, and Natsu was nothing but a ball of rage.

Now, the two were fighting for an equally serious reason, but it didn't feel real.

Sting felt as though he couldn't drag it out anymore. He had to end it there and then.

"White drive," Sting uttered.

Rogue, having taken notice of Sting, did the same.

Natsu and Gajeel backed up in confusion at the power emanating from the twin dragons.

Finally, Sting used his magic. The crowd watched in awe as Sting and Rogue were light and dark figures moving about, fighting Natsu and Gajeel.

Sting then took over the fight, feeling confident he could handle Fairy Tail's team.

Natsu and Gajeel appeared to be overwhelmed by Sting's power. Whether it was for real, or a façade, the blonde didn't know.

It wasn't until Sting had blown a hole in the stadium's ground when the match had taken a turn for the worse.

Sting stood over Natsu, who had seemingly been defeated, never having felt so relieved. Lector was safe. They would be alright and everything would be-

Sting lost his train of thought, and his mind wasn't his own anymore. Flashes of destruction, grief and betrayal ran through his head. He knew that he couldn't afford to see another vision- not currently-not if he wanted to win.

* * *

"What is he doing?" Minerva seethed, watching Sting fall to the ground.

Natsu wasn't getting up either.

Gajeel stood up wearily, then looked at Sting in confusion. Rogue was hovering over the blonde's fallen form, trying to shake him awake.

Gajeel then looked to Natsu, who was also out.

Minerva frowned. She, too, was thoroughly confused by the sight.

"I don't remember this happening before," Rufus commented.

Indeed, Sting had never just collapsed during a match. It was some sort of anomaly that could allow Fairy Tail a win if Rogue didn't pull through.

So there they were. Gajeel and Rogue, left to fight a fight that wasn't entirely theirs with only minutes left to decide a victor. However, unlike Natsu, Gajeel had been trying throughout the match. Minerva could see it.

She watched in apathy as Gajeel started to gain an advantage over Rogue. She was more curious as to the reason Sting had suddenly passed out. The blonde had lots to fight for, and fainting wasn't his style.

Minerva simply walked out of Sabertooth's booth as the game was called.

Fairy Tail had won.

* * *

Sting woke with a start. He was still in the arena. People were cheering-no, they were chanting-Fairy Tail's name was repeated over and over again.

Had they won?

No, no, no. Fairy Tail couldn't have. That meant they would be in first place and that meant Lector was one step closer to death.

The words dazed and confused could be used to describe Sting, who was standing in confusion, being led out of the Stadium by Rogue, who was badly injured. The same stupid vision Sting had received days ago had repeated again, and was still fresh in his mind. He flinched as Rogue grabbed his hand to be led out of the stadium.

They were supposed to win, _they were winning_. Now, the future contained nothing but uncertainty.

* * *

 _An: I'm sure you guys probably hear lots of authors say this, but fight scenes are difficult to write._

 _Anyways, I wanted to update every week, but that didn't end up happening because I couldn't bring myself to write the fight scene for a **week**. And I really didn't feel like writing the fight that happened in the anime so here you guys go. Hope it was good enough._

 _Also, there's a lack of Sting/Lucy interaction. Don't worry, there'll be plenty to come ;)_

 _Love you all, and thanks so much for your reviews last chapter! Wish I could reply to all of you, but I'm always so busy. (This also needs to be further edited, as I'm posting this at 3:00 and I'm half sleep deprived)_


	18. A Change of Power and Some Freedom

If Sting had thought the first time Jiemma had gotten angry was scary, it was _nothing_ in comparison to now. There was tangible fear in the air. Nobody dared move a muscle in the chance they would be called out.

"First you defy me and your teammates, then you **collapse** in the middle of a fight!?" Jiemma roared. "You're an embarrassment to the guild! It seems like Minerva was wrong about you! And Rogue? Beaten by a Fairy so easily?!"

From the corner of Sting's eye, he spotted Rogue tense up and grip Frosch tighter.

Sting decided to take the fall, as he had little to lose anyways.

"The Fairy Tail team is strong, and I couldn't help collapsing. I couldn't control it-"

"SHUT IT! I don't want to hear your pitiful excuses! Remove your guild marks now."

"Wait!" Minerva called, stepping out.

Rufus and Orga looked at her in confusion. Their expressions mirroring that of Sting and Rogue.

"You're making an idiotic mistake," Minerva stated.

This only infuriated her father further.

"Your judgement was wrong last time! Look at where it has gotten us!" He yelled, magic charging up.

Sting and Rogue tensed, having felt the incredible charge up of power aimed at Minerva.

But if Minerva died, what would happen to Lector?

Minerva evidently sensed what was going on as well, but she didn't have enough time to react.

"NO!" Sting yelled.

And in a brilliant flash of light, the tyrant of Sabertooth was no more. Gone gone gone.

Minerva looked to Sting in awe, before remembering his intention wasn't entirely to save just her.

"Well, well, well..." She spoke, sauntering up to her father's body. "It looks like there's been a change of power."

And with that, Sting had inadvertently changed more than he knew.

* * *

"Look at what your relationship has done, Sting!" Rogue said in a near whisper, holding a petrified Frosch closely.

Sting wanted to look away from his best friend in guilt, but he had too much on his mind. Jiemma was _gone._ But it wasn't freedom, not with Minerva around. Minerva's threat still loomed above Sting, no matter how much he tried to ignore her words.

"I never intended for any of this to happen!" Sting replied.

Rogue frowned. "Then why? What happened during our match? Why couldn't you have waited until the games were done to be with Lucy?"

Sting didn't hear the last part Rogue had spoke, as he was more caught up with the sudden feeling of déjà vu that came across him. But why? _The vision_. More or less, the conversation he and Rogue were having, was eerily similar to the vision Sting had. Sting was even injured, just like the vision had shown.

"Rogue... You did notice that Natsu collapsed too, right?"

Rogue nodded his head in confusion.

"We've been having weird dreams...? Visions? I don't know what to call them, but in the ones we get, they always have me in them. Lucy and you are in them too. We don't know why we get them, or what they even mean. I couldn't help going unconscious during the match because I was having one. I haven't talked to Natsu lately, but I'm sure he was having one too."

Rogue simply stared at Sting momentarily, before an expression of hurt took over. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't know what they meant- we still don't. I wasn't sure what to think."

Rogue set Frosch down, "I've been having nightmares," he spoke softly. "I don't know if they have to do with what's happening to you, but they terrify me."

"What are they about?" Sting asked.

"Tell me about the visions first."

Sting was unsure how Rogue would take the vision. Their situation was eerily similar to the one in the vision, and even worse was that Rogue had been justified in the vision.

 _"Then what about you? What happens when Jiemma finds out? Are you prepared to be kicked out of the guild?"_

 _"No. They won't know, I'll be careful," Sting excused._

 _Rogue laughed. "You're lying to yourself, it has stop. You'll never be ready for it."_

Sting hadn't been able to hide it. He hadn't been careful. He was the one who made the relationship known.

"You were right," Sting muttered to himself. Rogue was absolutely right, but did that mean Sting should have left Lucy? Because Sting certainly didn't think so.

"Right about what?" Rogue asked.

"In the vision you tried to warn me about Lucy. I wouldn't listen. I said I could keep it a secret, yet look at where we are now."

Rogue looked suddenly sorry about his outburst. "Sting, I knew early on what was going on between you and Lucy. I didn't try and stop it. I still won't, because it's not my place, but I should have told you to be more careful. Dating Lucy is by no means wrong, but Fairy Tail and Sabertooth don't mix. You should have known to wait."

Sting knew that Rogue was right. He couldn't refute it. "I think I knew that too, but I didn't want to stop. Lucy knew it as well, she even voiced her concerns. But we didn't do anything about it. I haven't seen her in a while, and I need to talk to her."

Rogue sighed. "My nightmares are always about Frosch dying."

With Rogue's statement, the exceed below him gasped and teared up. Rogue picked him up again, holding him close in comfort.

"I won't let that happen to you, Frosch. I promise," Rogue vowed, while Sting watched the two in surprise.

"Do you get it every time you go to sleep? Is it the same nightmare over and over?" Sting asked with a sudden desperation in his voice.

"Yes to both. Why, Sting? What's going on?"

Sting averted his eyes from his friend's in apprehension. Because how could he tell his best friend the frightening truth of the visions when he, himself, didn't know what the hell all the visions meant exactly.

Most people would describe Sting as confident, proud and even cheerful at times, yet if they saw him in that moment, they would say anything but that.

"I- I don't know. I have to go see Lucy," Sting said, looking back to Rogue.

Rogue's face shifted to one of concern and alarm. "What? No! Haven't you learned anything? You aren't thinking straight!"

"I'm going to go insane if I spend more time in this guild! The games have been hell!" Sting burst out.

Rogue looked truly panicked. He had never seen Sting as messed up as he appeared to be in the moment. Finally, it all made sense, Rogue noticed as he observed Sting's tired eyes.

"You aren't thinking clearly," Rogue warned.

"I don't care," Sting replied, turning to leave the room.

"And what about Lector?"

Sting stopped.

"Minerva wouldn't dare."

Rogue frowned. "Didn't you think the same thing before the naval battle?"

Sting, still facing away from Rogue, noticeably tensed. "I'll think of something."

And he left.

* * *

Sting's room in the inn held nothing but empty memories, feeling like a room meant simply for his isolation and thoughts.

He hurriedly riffled through his drawers, wanting nothing more than to leave his room and Sabertooth as soon as possible. Finally, coming across a dark jacket that he rarely wore, he threw it on.

Sting wasn't accustomed to wearing a jacket, let alone dark clothes. He felt odd walking through the the crowds of wizards in the Sabertooth inn. He deliberately walked with his sight set on the door, informing everyone around him that he was set on leaving.

Yet Orga didn't seem to understand that at all.

"Haha Sting, come here!" The god slayer called.

Grudgingly, Sting walked over to his teammate's table consisting of Rufus, Dobengal and of course, Orga.

"Yes?" He questioned.

Orga held out a magazine that was folded to display a single article. "Read this."

Sting grabbed the magazine out of Orga's hand roughly, planning to quickly run over the article until he saw the title.

" _SABERTOOTH SCANDAL_?" the title read in bold letters.

Sting flipped to the cover of the magazine. It wasn't the one Orga normally read for information about wizards, it was The Sorcerer Magazine. The gossip filled magazine for mages.

"Why the sudden change in magazines?" Sting asked accusingly.

"Just read it," Orga laughed.

Sting flipped back to the article.

" _Sting Eucliffe and Fairy Tail wizard Lucy Heartfillia, secret lovers? It would appear so after the naval battle we had all watched with rapt attention! I had a witness from a local restaurant tell me about an encounter he had with the two on a date. 'They seemed very close, and wanted to keep it on the down low. A cute couple though, shame what happened in the games!' My witness-who-shall- not-be-named told me. So, why would the two blondes from opposing guilds be together? I'm sure all of us are very curious as to why the famed Sting Eucliffe is only now taking an interest in dating. And what he said about Sabertooth? So very informative! I'll be sure to look out for more information and witnesses for my next article. Look for it next week!_ "

Sting turned to Orga with an absolute frown on his face. "How did you even find this?"

"Rufus here found it actually, and I found it entertaining, so I decided to share it with you."

"And you believe this?" Sting muttered.

Orga laughed. "Ha, it'd make sense why the pink fireball came storming in here, demanding why he could smell her on you. And it would make even more sense on why you sided with the Fairies. You're not fooling anyone."

"Great," Sting muttered in answer. "I'm going out for a drink, I don't need this."

Orga and Dobengal laughed, watching Sting storm to the door.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Minerva demanded from behind Sting.

"What does it matter to you?" He replied bitingly.

Minerva smirked. "You're going to see the celestial mage aren't you?"

"So what if I was?"

"She's a distraction you can't be allowed right now..." Minerva trailed off, then smiled cruelly. "And poor Lector... His life is already on the line. Why endanger him further?"

"A distraction? What do you want _Milady_?" Sting asked mockingly, "You full well know she has nothing to do with this."

"Oh, but she has everything to do with this. We can't afford for you to leave the guild. We need to win the games."

"Why does winning the games even matter?" Sting yelled.

At this point, everyone in the guild had come to watch Sting and Minerva argue in a perverse interest.

"We've won for years now! We've shown everyone Sabertooth's power, and Jiemma isn't here to enforce the power over everything bullshit. So don't you dare say you want to carry on what he taught, because I saw the way you reacted to his death."

Sting saw the crowd's shocked expressions. He saw some of them nodding in agreement.

"But that doesn't matter because I hold the power," Minerva said. And it was true. She held power over Sting, and she held power over the guild.

But Sting was temporarily done with the guild he had once liked. He needed to get away.

So he opened the inn's doors and slammed them behind himself.

* * *

Lucy paced around the infirmary, having been informed of Fairy Tail's victory. She was glad they had won, in a way. And Natsu had told her what happened. She was glad Natsu was going to give Sabertooth the win, Gajeel however, was a different story.

Natsu had told her that he informed Gajeel, but Gajeel went ahead and won the match anyways.

Lucy was pissed that she couldn't know why and even more pissed that she couldn't be with her celebrating guild. According to Wendy, she needed 'one more day of rest'. Lucy didn't think she did. Aside from a dull ache in her abdomen, she felt fine.

What she missed was being with her guild or talking to Sting. Both aspects had been missing dearly from her life since the naval battle. And although it had been days since the naval battle, it felt like eternity.

The door behind her opened, and Sting walked in.

"Sting?" She asked in surprise, a smile ghosting over her face.

She ran up to him and gave him a crushingly tight hug.

"I've missed you," she said quietly, still hugging him.

"I've missed you too," he replied, detaching himself from her.

"Wait, How did you get away from your guild?"

"I left through the front door," he replied.

Lucy laughed. "No, how did you get away without anyone knowing?"

Lucy's laugh felt great to hear after days of nothing but silence, brooding and anger. Being with her felt like freedom to him, even if it was temporary.

"I left through the front door. They don't know where I went," he restated.

"Oh... How are you feeling after your match? I'm sorry you lost, but there's still a chance you can win in the last event," she said, picking up on his somber mood.

It was so ironic, she supposed. At the start of the games, she was the one feeling lonely and grief stricken. It was like their roles were reversed. Now Sting was feeling what she had felt.

"Can we please not talk about the games?" He requested.

"Yeah sure. Actually, I have an idea!" She exclaimed.

Lucy felt like she had a purpose; she was going to cheer Sting up, no matter what it took.

"Is the sky cloudless?" She asked out of the blue.

Sting looked at her in confusion, but answered anyways. "...yes."

With a renewed strength, Lucy look Sting's hand in hers, leading him to the exit.

"Aren't you supposed to stay here to rest or something?" He questioned, allowing himself to be dragged down the halls.

"Wendy says I should, but I feel fine," Lucy lied, ignoring the slight pain she felt in her arms and upper stomach.

"If you say so," he said, not entirely convinced.

* * *

They didn't know where they were, or what time it was, for that matter, but they didn't care. They were free in the night from obligations and guilds. Free from magic and foes.

Lucy finally found a park nestled in a neighbourhood around the colosseum that had a nice open patch of grass.

Sting didn't know where she was taking him, yet he let her guide him to wherever. He followed her across the grass of the park eagerly.

His curiosity had got the better of himself, however. "Lucy, what're we doing?"

"I'm going to show you the stars," she stated, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Lucy laid back in the dewy night grass, and looked to the sky. Memories of her mother teaching her the individual constellations came flooding back.

"And July is Scorpius, the scorpion," she echoed after her mom.

"Huh?" Sting asked, lying down beside her.

Lucy pointed up to the starry sky. "Do you see those red stars and the ones that are slightly brighter than the others?"

"Yeah?"

"Look at the line they go in. It's the Scorpius constellation."

Sting kept silent for a while, trying to figure out what Lucy was talking about. Then he saw the line of stars.

"I see it now. From what I heard, I thought it would be easier to pick them out."

Lucy laughed. "When I was younger, my mom used to teach me all the time. I would always get so upset when I couldn't understand what she was talking about."

"What was it like, having a family?"

Lucy looked to Sting in surprise before remembering his only family had been a dragon; a dragon he killed.

"I was young when my mother died, but I remembering feeling safe and loved. Like nothing in the world could hurt me as long as my family was around. After my mom died, my dad became distant... And you know the rest."

"Sometimes I would wonder what it felt like to have a family when I was a kid. Lector and Rogue are my family basically."

"Wait... Sting. Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded beside her.

"Why did you kill your dragon? Natsu said Igneel was his father."

Sting froze. Despite all the parading around he and Rogue did about killing their dragons, the truth was a much more touchy topic.

"The truth is... Rogue and I didn't kill our dragons. They were sick and asked us to kill them. We did it and... I was lost for a while after it."

"Wow, I'm sorry."

"It happened a long time ago. I'm fine now."

"I'm still sorry for bringing it up," Lucy said, then moved closer to Sting and wrapped her arms around his torso.

So the two stayed like that for a while, simply observing the starry sky.

* * *

 _An: So I have nothing against Minerva, I actually quite like her character. But let's be honest, she was pretty damn brutal and cruel before her redemption in the Tartarus arc._

 _And I don't even know why I'm mentioning this (god help me I have too much to do already), but I saw a headcanon on tumblr that said Sting glows when he's happy, and I've been so caught up in it that I actually want to write a one shot about it because it's so cute. Would anyone be interested in that?_

 _And this is the longest chapter I've ever written! Here you guys go!Anyways, thanks so much for your reviews! I love you all so much!_


	19. Mystery

_I'm back! Sorry for the long wait, school has kept me very busy, and on top of that, mental health has been an issue._

 _Anyways, enough of me. Here's the chapter!_

* * *

It was late at night, the stars were shining bright, crickets could be heard chirping distantly and there was a slight breeze to the warm summer night. The moon appeared to be much larger than normal, something that was of slight concern to Lucy, although she did not say it aloud.

Beside Lucy, Sting walked calmly. Some of the tension in him had disappeared, for which Lucy was great full. They'd been through enough in the past days, so the midnight walk became a great way to release stress.

And yet, there was still the matter of the games. To Lucy, it was funny how she had arrived in the Capitol sad, but beyond excitement for the games, and now she hated them. Maybe she hated the wrong thing, maybe her hate should have been focused on Sabertooth. After all, the games brought plenty of joy to the rest of her guildmates. She wanted to bring up the topic of Lector desperately, but Sting didn't want to talk about them, so she left the topic hovering in the air between them waiting to be addressed.

"You have to get back to the arena, right?" Sting asked, breaking the silence between them.

Regrettably, Lucy nodded her head. She had been stuck in the damned healing ward way too long for her taste. It had been plain torture to hear the cheering during the matches and being unable to watch. At least it would be her last night spent in the accursed place.

"I wish I didn't have to," she muttered.

Sting snickered at Lucy's comment. "Let's get going back then. We need to catch up on sleep."

* * *

Back at the arena, Lucy and Sting hid behind a group of boulders. There were two guards patrolling the entrance due to some rule about nobody being allowed to wander after eleven a.m. _Too late_ , they'd already broken that rule. It was a wonder they had found a side exit to leave in the first place. If only the doors didn't lock themselves.

"How are we going to get back in?" Lucy asked, concern evident in her wide eyes. And just why exactly was the king so defensive of the arena at nighttime?

A smile played across Sting's face.

At his smile, Lucy's concern grew. If Sting was anything like Natsu, she didn't like where this was going.

"A distraction," Sting suggested.

"What kind of distraction?" She asked skeptically. She hoped it wasn't the destructive type.

Sting looked down to Lucy's belt, his eyes landing directly on the golden ring that held her keys. "I think it's time I see your magic in action."

"I'm still drained from my last match!" She replied harshly.

"To drained to summon any spirit?"

Lucy moved her arm to grab her keys off her belt, the action caused her more pain than she'd like to admit. Maybe Wendy was right in saying Lucy needed another night of rest. "Well... No. I can summon Plue, but he won't buy us much time."

"Perfect!" Sting exclaimed.

Lucy was glad to see the mischievous part of him back, even if she knew it wouldn't be present long. With that thought she took the silver key off her belt then looked to Sting's face. "Ready?"

He gave a curt nod, a serious expression replacing the smile. He watched in fascination as Lucy lifted the key over her head.

"Gate of the Canis Minor, I open thee!"

A shimmering spirit appeared in front of the two, and for a moment Sting thought the guards had seen the spirit being summoned. Sting sighed in relief when he heard no movement from the two guards in front of the door.

Lucy kneeled down in front of Plue. "Okay, I want you to go wander in front of the guards. When they notice you, they'll probably chase after you. Run away from them for a bit, then return to the celestial world," she told Plue softly.

Plue nodded and began walking in the guards' sight nervously.

Lucy and Sting watched with rapt attention as the celestial spirit caught the attention of the two guards.

"What is that?" One of them asked.

The other guard shrugged. "Let's go check it out."

The two of them left their post, causing Plue to become skittish and start to back up. As they drew nearer, Plue took off running as fast as he could possibly go (which pretty slow in reality).

Lucy and Sting took full advantage of the short window they had been provided. They sprinted to the doors, with Lucy's limbs feeling like they were on fire as they did so. Sting closed the door behind them swiftly and silently, so as to make sure the guards wouldn't suspect a thing.

There were sure to be more patrolling the arena. The consequences of getting caught were untold, because anyone caught wasn't heard from again; or so the rumours Lucy had heard stated.

Lucy looked down the dark hallway, ignoring her aching muscles and concentrating on making a plan.

"Okay, we may not have any light, but I've been through worse. We can do this," she said to herself aloud.

Sting winced at her comment, thinking she was referencing her match against Minerva. Then he remembered all the other stories she told him about-she really had been through a lot.

Sting took her hand in his. "It's okay, I can make light if we really need it. We just have to stay quiet and we'll be fine."

"Right," she said, following Sting's lead.

The two mages wandered down the halls of the arena, having not even the clanking of a guard's armour. They had reached the third floor, where the healing wards were. The only problems was remembering which turn was the right one.

"That way has torches!" Lucy exclaimed.

They rounded the corner and both of them recognized where they were. It was the same place they got lost in looking for Lector.

"I remember here," Lucy said, starting to wander down the hall.

On the other hand, Sting began to hear footsteps. Ones Lucy couldn't hear yet thanks to him being a dragon slayer. He ran up to Lucy, roughly grabbed her arm and yanked her in the direction of that stupid door they had gone in just days before.

"Hey what the-" Sting put a hand over her mouth before she could say more.

"There was a guard coming our way," he informed her.

"Oh."

Lucy then turned around to examine the creepy hallway once more. The once dimmed torches now burned fiercely causing the hall to have a less spooky feel and more of an ancient one.

"I want to check this out," Sting stated. If the mural of the dragon was any indication of what lied beneath the arena, he wanted to know more.

"Didn't you just say we need to catch up on sleep?"

"Scratch that, we're going to find out what the king is hiding."

Lucy looked to the end of the hall, which ended in darkness. She didn't know if she wanted to find out what the big secret was, let alone get caught in the process. Rumours weren't exactly the most credible of sources, but if what she heard was true... She didn't want to risk it. Besides, her muscles ached.

"I don't want to," she stated.

Sting crossed his arms. "It's not like we have anything else to do. That guard likely patrols this area well. Don't you want to know what the Kings hiding?"

Of course she did, but the risk/reward ratio was a bit too uneven for her liking. Then again, when she was with team Natsu, was it ever balanced?

"Okay, let's go."

And with that, the two headed into a dangerous mystery.

* * *

 _( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) here comes the eclipse gate arc!_

 _An: Sorry guys. When I started writing this story, I told myself: 'it doesn't matter if you're not the best at writing, just as long as you try it's alright'_

 _But somewhere along the line, it changed to 'Why aren't I as good as other writers? I should stop writing because I'm not good enough'_

 _I've been trying to fix this problem in my head, and I'd really appreciate the reviews._

 _Anyways, next chapter should be out next weekend. (Sorry this one is so short!) Love you all!_


	20. Mystery Part Two

_An: I'm back and I'm angry! (Angry at myself for leaving you guys without a chapter for nearly a month). I am so sorry that it's taken me this long because let me tell you, I'm so harsh on myself when I'm writing to the point where I just have to stop or I make myself upset. My shoulder bothering me has also been a thing, but enough of my excuses! Here's the next chapter!_

* * *

Lucy and Sting traveled further and further down the dark corridor together in trepidation. Each turn was taken in caution of being caught, for which they already had several close calls. One incident involved a rat climbing Lucy's leg and Sting having to stop her from screaming and alerting nearby guards. The next incident happened thanks to the near non-existent lighting and a misstep that ended with Sting falling over. If their situation was different, Lucy would have laughed.

But their situation wasn't different. Now they were staring at what appeared to be dragon bones with their eyes the size of saucers.

"We're thinking the same thing right?" Lucy whispered to Sting who was standing right next to her shell-shocked.

He nodded stiffly.

"This is so bizarre! Of all the places, why would there be bones here?" Lucy asked, then began to step around the skull looking for any sort of information to help her make sense of what lay in front of her. As she investigated, it appeared that there wasn't just one skeleton. There were several of them scattered throughout the cavern in various forms of disarray.

"Sting?" Lucy called softly.

"I'm here," he called back.

Lucy crouched down to try and get a better look at the cavern. "Why is the king hiding this? I don't understand. We need to go tell Fairy Tail about this!"

"Aren't they celebrating? And as much as I'd like to go with you if Minerva caught me around Fairy Tail..."

"Yeah, I get it. Either way, we need to get out of here. Besides, I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this place," Lucy said. It was then she became acutely aware of the goosebumps decorating her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to create more heat for herself, but the cave's cold temperature was too overpowering.

Sting noticed Lucy shivering beside him so he wrapped an arm around her; not that it did much to warm her, but it did comfort her.

"Let's leave," Sting spoke, then brought her with him back the way they came.

However, on their way back, they weren't ready for a contingent of the king's guards to be waiting for them in the hallway. Sting and Lucy were in no shape to run from the guards, so they had no choice but to submit.

"You are under arrest for trespassing in the king's property," the commanding guard ordered.

"Wait, isn't that the celestial wizard?" another guard asked.

The guard in command observed Lucy closely, causing Lucy to shift uncomfortably under his and the other guard's stares.

"Lucy is here to heal and we were looking around but got lost," Sting lied. His voice was purposefully unstable as he was trying to convey nervousness. "Then we umm... Got kinda distracted." A good lie for why he and Lucy were all tousled up.

The guards all looked to their commanding officer for what to do next.

The man glared at Sting, not at all amused by the lies. He hit his staff aginst the gritty stone floor in authority. "Take him away to the cells and have the celestial wizard escorted back to her room immediately."

"Wait!" Lucy exclaimed. "He's a wizard competing in the games, you can't just throw him in a cell!"

"That doesn't matter. Laws are laws," a guard commented.

Lucy watched as Sting's facial expression quickly switched to horror. It was like she could see the sudden realization on his face that he wouldn't be in the next match when, in fact, that was the match he needed to participate in the most desperately. A life was on the line, but Lucy knew that no matter what she or Sting would say could not deter the guards from the decision they had made.

So she watched helplessly as Sting was dragged down the corridor to who knows where. The one question that drifted through Lucy's head was why not her? Why did she not get charged, why didn't she receive the same treatment as Sting? Even if she had been staying at the arena to heal, she was still trespassing.

If the guards thought that she would just stay in her room after what she had witnessed only an hour before, they were _wrong._ It was time for her to take a stand. Fairy Tail had to be informed of what lay beneath the arena. Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel especially deserved to know.

Lucy couldn't put her finger on what, but something wasn't right. There was something much, much more sinister going on beneath the games than simply Raven Tail's schemes or Sabertooth's general no mercy policy. No, something sinister like the visions hinted at. Something like those was lurking around just waiting to be unveiled at the wrong time.

To Lucy, it didn't matter how drained she felt in the current. She had a duty to her guild. So with all her strength she summed Leo while praising her luck that the guards didn't take her keys.

"Something you need gorgeous?" Loki asked upon being summoned.

"Yes," Lucy said quickly.

Loki noticed her pacing around the room combined with her messy appearance which informed him that something was amiss.

"What's wrong?" he questioned in a lower voice while stepping towards her.

"There are two guards outside this room and I need to get out. They won't let me, so you have to take them out and help me escape."

Loki whistled. "What kind of trouble has Natsu gotten you guys into this time?"

"Actually, this time, it's partially my fault and someone else's... either way I need to get out of here, Loki! I think that I might be in danger."

That caught Loki's attention. Loki's entire demeanor changed from playful to protective as Lucy watched the smile fade from his face to be replaced with a frown and he cracked his knuckles.

"I don't have much time left, so try to hurry please," Lucy requested.

"You got it, Lucy."

Lucy watched as Loki opened the doors with zero subtlety then punched the guards out in a brilliant gold flash of light.

Lucy smiled at her spirit in thanks but didn't waste any of her time talking. She simply gestured for Loki to follow her.

She followed the same hall she and Sting had taken to leave the arena, surprised to see that there still wasn't an authority presence. For people so uptight about the whole trespassing law, they weren't the best at patrolling. All the better for her.

Finally, she had reached the door to outside completely sore from all the moving Wendy had instructed her _not_ to do. Concern for Sting's wellbeing kept her going as she ran through the dimly lit streets with Loki tailing behind her. As soon as she reached Fairy Tail's inn, Loki would have to leave. She could feel her magic steadily draining and exhausting herself.

She just hoped people in Fairy Tail would be awake.

* * *

Gray had been thoroughly enjoying himself despite the multiple beatings he and Natsu had received from Erza. Hell, everyone had been enjoying the night in wake of Fairy Tail's new found victory streak. That was of course until a battered and exhausted looking Lucy nearly collapsed at the front door of Fairy Tail. Loki carried her to a bench before disappearing back to the spirit world leaving Lucy to explain just what the hell had happened.

A crowd had gathered around Lucy in curiosity only to be disbanded by Makarov leaving only Natsu, Erza, Grey, Wendy, and Happy. Carla was nowhere to be found.

"I was... upset that you guys had left me alone for the celebration," she began, wishing her stupid cheeks would stop heating up, "so when Sting came I left with him. When we snuck back into the arena he got curious with this suspicious hallway we had found earlier and we decided to explore it."

Lucy looked to everyone trying to gauge their reactions. Nobody seemed too particularly bothered yet. It wasn't anything new to hear that a Fairy Tail member had broken a rule or that Lucy did something with Sting secretively.

"This next part may sound ridiculous, but please just listen. We found what we think are dragon bones underneath the arena-"

Lucy was cut off by Wendy and Natsu's surprised gasps.

"Seriously?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah. We had a hard time believing it too. So anyways-"

"Where's Sting?" Erza cut off Lucy prompting Lucy to frown.

"I was getting to that. So we were leaving to go back to my room when we ran into an entire contingent of guards in the hallway. They brought me back to my room but detained Sting and I still can't figure out why. He has to compete in the games tomorrow. The weirdest part is that they all seemed to know who I was like they were expecting me or something."

"No offense Lucy, but everyone knows who you are after that incident with Minerva," Gray commented with his arms crossed.

"No, it seemed like they knew me because of-of an order... It was weird is all," Lucy explained. "Either way, we have to go back and look. And this time, we can't afford to be caught; there has to be another way to get in."

The group got up and began planning a way to sneak back in the arena. Meanwhile, Gray pulled Lucy to the side.

"Someone has to tell Sabertooth about Sting. Preferably not Natsu," Gray said.

"Are you volunteering?"

"As long as I can talk to Rogue, sure. I still want to kick their asses, though."

Lucy glared at Gray.

"-but I won't."

"Thank you, Gray."

* * *

Standing in front of the Sabertooth inn for the fist time was strange. Gray had heard about so many events transpiring at it but had never actually been to the place himself. The building was much more ornate than Fairy Tail's inn. Nothing short of the best for the all so esteemed guild.

Behind Gray, he heard a clattering. He brought his palms together to begin an attack only to come face to face with Rogue.

"What has happened?" Rogue questioned already knowing something had gone wrong when Sting hadn't returned in time for a healthy sleep.

"Lucy told us that Sting was detained for trespassing with her. They found... stuff they weren't supposed to find."

Rogue brushed off the vagueness of Gray's explanation. What mattered was that one of their key team members wasn't available to compete anymore. When Minerva found out, she'd be livid. Now Lector's life was dangerously hanging on by a thread. Rogue sighed deeply.

"Look, I don't care much for your guild, but for what it's worth, I 'm sorry this is happening. Lucy thinks that there's something else going on behind the games. Be careful." Gray apologized, then left Rogue standing in shock. Or about as much shock as he could be in considering this was Sting they were talking about. Sting was always reckless, why would he be any different now?

* * *

It turned out there was another way to get underneath the arena, some information brought to them by Jellal.

So Lucy, despite how exhausted she was, went with Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, Natsu and Happy to revisit the cold cavern she'd been in only two hours previous. To say the trip was long and tiring for her would be an understatement. She was already drained of all her magic and her body was practically screaming at her for rest. She _really_ should have listened to Wendy.

And now that there was a dragon's spirit talking to them, she didn't think there was any way for her night to get any crazier.

And yet again she was proven wrong...

* * *

 _AN: Thanks to everyone who has followed and_ favourited _. **And to those of you who review, you make my day like 100000x better by simply writing a few words of encouragement.** So seriously, THANK YOU. Love you all and hope you enjoyed!_


	21. Ghost

Rogue sauntered up to Minerva in no particular hurry to inform her Sting couldn't compete. Judging by all the yelling currently taking place, it didn't seem like she was in the best of moods already. Most likely due to nobody having seen Sting since the night previous. And of course, he was the one to bring the bad news, not that he wasn't used to it by now thanks to Sting's reckless behaviour.

As he neared Minerva, Orga began to take notice. Rogue saw Orga move towards him from the corner of his eye and sighed. One more frustrating conversation coming up, Rogue supposed.

"Hey there Rogue. Got any idea where lover boy has gone off to?" Orga questioned, a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"I don't have to time for this," was all Rogue said before continuing to Minerva who was sitting atop the guild master's chair.

"He decided we weren't worth it after all? Even abandoned that cat of his?" Orga continued, not getting the clue.

"No," Rogue replied.

"Then what?" Orga asked.

Rogue turned to Orga with a frown on his face. "Why don't you find out when I tell Minerva?"

That satisfied Orga, "Alright."

Apparently their conversation caught Minerva's attention because the Mage was currently giving them a deadly sharp glare. And as much as Rogue hated to admit it, she had probably already figured out Sting wasn't present. There could be no fooling her.

"And I suppose you have something to tell me?" Minerva observed with a cruel smirk.

Yep, she definitely knew. And Rogue hated her for it. She was so aloof with the guild members and she always put on a superiority act. And those were just some of her deplorable qualities. Torture and hostage-holding could now be added to the list of her actions Rogue disliked.

Rogue gave a hesitant nod.

"Oh? And just what do you have to tell me?" She asked, playing around with Rogue.

"Sting's gone. But not for the reason you think-"

"I knew it!" Orga shouted out.

Minerva sent Orga a glare then returned her attention to Rogue. "And he's gone because...?"

"He was arrested by the royal guard," Rogue told her somewhat embarrassed. Of all the days and ways to miss the last event in the games, somehow Sting was _arrested_.

Minerva raised an eyebrow. "Arrested? How did that come to be?"

"I don't know. I wasn't told why." Rogue lied. There was no way he was telling Minerva it was because Sting got caught trespassing with Lucy.

Minerva shifted in her seat and gritted her teeth together. Rogue could practically feel the anger coming off her in waves like she would snap at him any second. Only, Rogue knew she wouldn't. She was too aloof and restrained to make a clumsy display of anger. No, with Minerva every move she made was calculated to some degree.

"Well, it looks like we're out of a team member..." Minerva said, then raised her voice; "Where's Dobengal?"

"Right here, My Lady," Dobengal spoke having appeared out of thin air.

"Because of Sting's absence, you'll be playing in his place. I suggest you get ready," Minerva commanded.

"Yes, My Lady," Dobengal replied.

Again, Minerva turned her focus back to Rogue. "I'm a woman of my word. We will win the final today. If we don't, well... Lector may be in a lot of trouble. For Sting's sake, you might want to hope Dobengal holds up his end during the final." Minerva said.

Rogue nodded. Then without replying he walked away. There was no need to say anything else. It felt like Minerva had already won despite there being no final result. Sabertooth hadn't lost yet, so why did it feel like Lector was already gone? All that Rogue knew was that he was going to fight like hell during the finals for Sting's sake _and_ his own. He wasn't going to lose to Gajeel twice.

* * *

Lucy groaned and shifted. It felt like someone had hit her in the head hard. She then became acutely aware of the dirt and dust covering her legs and the cold temperature. Wherever she was, it definitely wasn't a bedroom and she certainly wasn't in a bed.

Lucy opened her eyes slowly to discover she was staring straight at iron bars.

"You're finally up."

Lucy jumped in surprise at the unexpected voice. She turned her head to notice Yukino sitting opposite from her. In the corner, Sting was out like a light. _Wait_ , both Sting and Yukino were there too?

How badly had she hit her head?

Last she remembered, she had been taking Natsu and the others to view the dragon bones then they actually got to talk to a dragon.

"Yukino, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked softly.

Yukino looked down. "They want Celestial wizards to help them with opening the gate."

Lucy doubted Yukino had the answer to how she ended up down in the cell, so she stayed silent. Instead, she crawled over to Sting.

"He's been asleep for a while. You should wake him up," Yukino suggested.

"Okay," Lucy replied, then gently shook Sting's arm.

He slowly blinked his eyes open, then realized he was looking at Lucy. Lucy could see, clear as day, the panic spreading across his face.

"How did you get here?" Sting questioned Lucy.

"I don't know."

Sting closed his eyes again and sighed. "We need to find a way out of here. I don't know what time it is, but the games must be starting soon."

"I told Gray to tell Rogue what happened. Rogue will do his best, don't worry," Lucy told him, although she wasn't quite too sure how Sabertooth would do in the upcoming finals. Fairy Tail's strongest wizards were to be feared.

"If we don't win... What happens to Lector is my fault," he guiltily admitted with a hitch to his voice. "I could have been more careful. Rogue always tells me how reckless I am, I guess I just never took note of that until now."

Lucy frowned and Sting opened his eyes again. "Are you seriously blaming yourself for this?" She asked.

"Yes. There's only one person to blame and it's me."

"Well did you ask for Minerva to kidnap Lector?"

"No."

"Then by that logic, it's not your fault. You never wanted this," Lucy told him, then raised her hand to caress his face. "You're a good person Sting. You stood up to your own guild for me. That was the right thing to do. So don't you dare go blaming yourself for this. We'll find a way out of this, promise."

Sting have her a small smile, which was enough for Lucy. She removed her hand from his face and stood up.

Oh, how their positions had been reversed. Before, Lucy was the one going through problems that were difficult. Over the course of the past week-almost two now-she'd somewhat healed from her father's death and found Sting. And while their relationship didn't have the appropriate time to grow, they'd already supported each other so much. Now it was Lucy's turn to help him. But the games would no doubt be starting soon and they needed to leave.

Peering over at the bars on the cell, Lucy began to wonder how in the hell they could burst out of there without being caught. Sting's magic was destructive, so that was the easy part. The difficult part would be escaping the guards and not causing a scene.

"Sting, can you use your magic down here?"

"Don't you think I would've tried that already?" He laughed.

Lucy's cheeks heated up. "Right, I should have thought that through. Wait, why can't you use magic down here?"

Instead of Sting replying, Yukino stepped in. "Because the gate is so close by. It drains our magic. That's why they hold the games here."

Lucy's jaw dropped. "What?" she turned to Sting, "Did you know this?"

"Yukino explained it to me," he nodded.

"Well, there has to be some way out of here!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I hope you have some good ideas because we've tried everything," Sting said.

Lucy huffed and crossed her arms. "I'll find a way outsometime, just you guys wait."

* * *

 _Earlier in the day_

Gray and Erza stood waiting and waiting for Makarov to come to a decision about Lucy. They needed someone to go get her, a wizard who was strong, but they didn't want to take anyone out of their already selected team. Finally, Makarov grumbled.

"Alright, I've come to an answer. I think Natsu should go get Lucy and Sting. Wendy and Mira should go with him," Makarov spoke.

"Then who is going to take Natsu's place?" Erza pondered.

"Juvia," Makarov answered brightly.

Erza made a sound of agreement. "And does Sabertooth know about Sting's situation?" Although she held no like for the guild, it was only fair they be informed. Rogue especially deserved to know.

"Yeah," Gray interjected. "I told Rogue."

 _Current_

The games were almost ready to begin and Minerva couldn't have been more happy. Her 'deal' with Sting was leaning heavily in their favour. And while Dobengal was no Sting, he was Sting a powerful mage in his own respect. And if Dobengal was to go out early, then Minerva was confident the rest of Sabertooth could carry themselves.

She watched Rogue get ready. He seemed odd without Sting by his side, but it was no matter. Sabertooth would still win. They always did.

Minerva narrowed her eyes suddenly. She could have sworn she saw Rogue's shadow move on its own. Maybe she was too used to seeing his magic in action, like it was just a trick of the eye.

* * *

As Gray was headed to get ready for the match a man in his peripheral vision caught his attention. You'd think it was because of the black cloak covering the man's features, but he caught Gray's attention because of the necklace. Gray could have sworn Lucy had the same one, _hell,_ Lucy did have the same necklace.

Gray stopped walking. "Hey!" he shouted while spinning around ready to confront the man.

But the man was gone like he had disappeared. There was no trace that he was ever there, not even a footprint.

But wait. A man in a cloak? No, he couldn't possibly be the one Natsu had told them about. There was no possible way. That was just a dream, right? That nightmare could never be allowed to become a reality, otherwise, the world would be screwed. The only question Gray had was why. Why was all of this happening and why was he the one to see the man in the cloak?

* * *

 _An: I feel like I'm getting slightly better at writing and I've really gotten a creative burst, so new chapter soon! (Sorry I jumped perspectives so much this chapter.)_

 _Also, I forgot to mention I'm taking a creative writing class so I'm hoping that helps as well!_

 _Love you guys and love seeing your reviews! I'm going to start replying to reviews again, so get_ ready ; _)_


	22. The Future

_An: So I had to re-watch the grand magic games arc because it's been at least a year now since I last saw it, that's why this chapter is way later than planned. I also found a bit of_ inconsistencies _in my story (Especially between this chapter and the last one) and I'm working on sorting them out currently. In other news, I got a beta and she's currently going through my story xoxo_

 _Also, I found myself wanting to skip through the Garou Knights constantly so I think I'm going to leave them out considering (in my opinion) the only thing they added to the anime was a bit of dialogue and a whole lot of fighting. (Even though they are cool characters!)_

 _Enjoy the chapter guys!_

* * *

Lucy sat with her back up against the dirty, cold stone wall that looked as though it would crumble any second. She and Yukino had just been discussing if the Eclipse gate was a good idea or not; Yukino thought it was, and had a good reason for it. Her family was missing due to Zeref's followers. Lucy could sympathize considering she had lost her father recently, but she still thought the gate to be a bad idea.

"Thought of anyways to get us out of here yet?" Sting asked Lucy, speaking up after a long period of silence.

"I'm working on it!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping up to inspect the cell.

"Lucy, we've tried everything," Sting stated.

Lucy turned to Sting and frowned. "You don't know that," she crossed her arms.

Sting didn't say anything else. He didn't want to even think more about how he was trapped under the castle in a cell while his guild practically fought for Lector's life. Sting hoped dearly that whoever replaced him, most likely Dobengal, would be strong. Sting wasn't at the games, he felt the anxiety course through him all the same.

"Do you think Sabertooth can win?" Sting asked out of the blue.

Yukino stiffened while Lucy looked contemplative. Assuming it was the same team Fair Tail had before Lucy had been placed in the cell was still competing, then the other guilds were in for a serious fight. Fairy Tail's team was made of their strongest mages, ones Lucy had lots of experience fighting or fighting beside. She'd never forget the terror she felt when Gajeel beat her, or when Laxus turned on the guild. Even though she had forgiven them both long ago, the memories of such events had never left her.

"I don't know..." Lucy truthfully admitted. "I've been with Erza, Gray and Natsu for a long time now. I've seen them do amazing things, things I swear you wouldn't believe if I told you. Gajeel and Laxus are also not to be messed with."

Sting nearly put his head in his hands. "I hope Sabertooth is just as good," and as much as Sting loathed to admit it, Minerva was their most powerful member. It would take someone equally, if not more powerful to take her out. Rufus and Orga were frightening opponents as well. Then there was Rogue; someone who Sting trusted would do his best. But Dobengal? With the way things had been going, Dobengal wouldn't last very long against the others.

Lucy walked over to Sting and took his hand in hers. "Whatever happens, I'm here with you, okay?"

Sting nodded.

Just as Lucy sat down beside him, they heard footsteps echoing down the hallway. The footsteps were light and coming towards them quickly. They did not sound like those of the guards, which were heavy and slow.

Sting, Lucy, and Yukino stood up in preparation for whatever was coming towards them. Lucy went up to the iron bars to get a better look.

As whatever was coming towards them rounded the corner, the first thing Lucy caught sight of was blue fur that could only belong to one cat: Happy. Lucy nearly sobbed with relief. They weren't stuck in the cell anymore and she wouldn't need to find a way out!

"Lucy!" Natsu called out in happiness.

"Natsu!" She called back.

Lucy noticed how dusted up Natsu and Happy were. They must have fought their way through to get Lucy back.

"Wait, Natsu. Weren't you supposed to be competing?" Lucy asked.

"Mmhmm. Juvia took my place because we came to rescue you. So stand back, I'll melt these bars down."

Lucy and the others backed up. Lucy and Sting had first-hand experiences with just how hot, destructive and damaging Natsu's fire could be. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw Yukino watch Natsu burn the iron away with fascination. Lucy then realized it was the first time Yukino had seen Natsu's magic in use.

Once the bars were melted, Natsu ran up to Lucy and hugged her. "I'm so glad we found you!"

Lucy patted Natsu on the back uncomfortably. "Thank you for coming to get me, you guys."

Behind Lucy, Sting gave a slight nod in thanks while stepping out of the cell. Lucy supposed he was still wary of Natsu after the two times they had fought. Lucy hadn't even noticed just how little they'd ever had a civil conversation.

"We have to get out of here quickly," Happy said in an attempt to get them moving.

"Why?" Sting asked.

"The guards are after us. We broke in here and we need to get back to the games before anybody notices there's more people than just Natsu missing," Happy explained.

"I'd think it'd be great if we went quickly," Sting added. Lucy noticed his allusion to Lector and winced. At this point, she supposed that they couldn't rely on Sabertooth to win. They needed to find Minerva before she could do anything to Lector.

"Sting, do you think we should find Minerva as soon as we get out?" Lucy questioned him while they walked at a brisk pace to get to the main floor of the castle.

"Yes," he kept walking.

Yukino tilted her head. "Find Minerva?"

"You didn't tell her?" Lucy asked.

"After what his guild did to her, that's not a surprise," Natsu added bitterly.

"Hey!" Lucy chided, "That's their guild master's fault, not Sting's."

"Anyways, we're going to find Minerva because she took Lector."

Yukino's expression turned to one of surprise. "S-she took him? I'm so sorry."

Sting didn't reply and their group drifted into an uneasy silence while they continued to walk through the dimly lit stone hallways. Lucy only thought of how much Sting had changed since she had first met him. He had been cheery, energetic and confident, if a bit too much so. But now? Now he was often times serious and angry. Not that she could blame him, he always had the threat of his best friend dying in the back of his mind.

"Could they have made this place anymore creepy?" Lucy commented when she noticed the tons of cobwebs gathering on the walls.

"I agree with Lucy, this place is scary," Happy shakily added.

Sting brought up his hand and a ball of light appeared. "Don't worry, we'll see anything bad coming to us."

"Hey, I coulda done that!" Natsu aid.

Sting laughed. "Well, I thought of it first."

Lucy smiled at their bantering. It had been a while since she'd last heard Sting laugh and it felt nice to hear.

"Wait!"

Lucy and Sting whipped around at the sound of the voice.

"Umm, Luce? When did ya learn to throw your voice?" Natsu questioned.

Lucy paused at the familiarity of the voice she heard. But she didn't say anything, so what could that have possibly been?

"Another vision..?" Lucy answered weakly. It was highly unlikely that was the answer.

"Wait!" the voice came again, this time, stronger.

By now, their group had all stopped to look for the source of the Lucy sound-alike. They heard faint footsteps coming from the hall opposite the direction they were going so they prepared for a fight.

When the sound-alike came into their view, Lucy looked on in apprehension. The person was wearing a cloak, but not one like the person had been wearing one in their visions. That cloak was dark with zero adornments, this cloak had yellow adornments and a jewel clasp. And though the cloaks were not the same, Lucy wasn't any less suspicious.

"Who are you?" Sting and Natsu demanded at the same time.

They shared a brief look of annoyance at each other, then returned their attention to the cloaked person.

The person pulled their hood off, and the first thing to catch everyone's attention was the blonde hair that was so familiar to them all. It had the same length, same hue and same style as Lucy's hair. They were quite literally staring at another Lucy. Hell, Lucy couldn't even comprehend what she was looking at.

"Y-you're Lucy?" Happy asked in surprise.

The women in front of them gave them a solemn nod.

"How?" Sting demanded.

"I'm from the future. Where... Terrible things happen. You've seen these things happen in visions, yes?" The future Lucy asked.

Nobody was quite done with being surprised, and that was saying something considering one of their guild master's ghost talked to them regularly. However, the wheels in Lucy's head started to turn. If she was from the future then... Would the terrible reality that Natsu saw become their reality? Was future Lucy from the time before she and Sting had been murdered?

"H-how did that future come to be?" Lucy asked her future self tentatively.

Future Lucy began to walk ahead of them. "I can explain when we get out of here, for now, all I can say is that the future doesn't happen quite like it did in your visions. They're misleading. It's not-" The future Lucy stopped straight in her tracks when she passed Sting. A lingering sadness passed her face before she continued on.

This made Lucy wonder what the sadness meant. Sting looked back to Lucy in confusion and Lucy shrugged. She had no idea what that look meant, she only hoped it didn't mean Sting was dead in the future. And besides, she was having a way more difficult time believing her future self was in front of them. It wasn't everyday you get to see yourself from a third person perspective.

Apprehensively, the followed the other Lucy to the first floor of the castle where they had no idea what would happen next.

"Listen, people will realize eventually that you three have escaped. Once we go up there, we have to be careful. Okay?" The future Lucy asked, looking directly at Natsu.

Lucy watched herself in wonder. It wasn't every day you got to see yourself as others saw you. It was an enlightening experience, to say at the least.

At last, they got to the entrance of the castle. "There's guards outside this door, so be careful," Future Lucy warned.

Natsu crossed his arms. "We've already taken them out," he stated proudly.

So with that, they began to make their way to the first floor of the castle. From there, they could leave once and for all.

* * *

The first floor of the castle was beautifully decorated. The walls themselves were pieces of art with the golden encrusting. The entire palace seemed to scream money to them. Even Sting wasn't around this type of luxury often, despite the decadence Jiemma had seen fit for Sabertooth.

"You have to tell us about what's going on! I'm getting really nervous right now," Lucy admitted.

The future Lucy looked around the room cautiously, as if she was expecting someone to jump out and attack her at any second. But with the future she had come from, Lucy couldn't blame her,

"Something's happening right now," Sting observed.

The future Lucy closed her eyes in acknowledgment. "There's... Someone after me. I think you've seen him in your visions."

"The man with the black cloak?" Sting questioned.

Future Lucy bowed her head as if to say yes.

"But he-" Natsu started.

"He wants me dead," the future Lucy finished. "The future I come from is a dark and terrible time. So many of the people I love are gone, and nothing is the same anymore. Day to day life is a challenge for everyone.

Natsu nodded his head in solidarity. "Then we have to stop that from happening."

Together, their group they wandered the hallways of the castle searching for a way out carefully and meticulously avoiding the guards. They didn't want another incident with he guards again, as Lucy teasingly reminded Sting who didn't seem to be in the mood for joking around.


	23. Everything Wrong

_An: for the sake of being original, I watched the episode, wrote down a bit about it, then wrote this chapter down off of my memory. (And obviously with Sting being here this scene has to change quite a bit) Enjoy the chapter!_

 _(Also, I think I was half dead when I wrote the last chapter so I'm going to fix it up within the next few days because I have no idea what the hell I was thinking and it made no sense)._

* * *

It didn't take long for the guards to find them again. After only minutes of trying to exit the palace, a contingent of palace guards cut off the exit for their group. Lucy called on Loke, Sting and Natsu knocked out guards through their destructive magic and Happy was busy aiding the Lucy from the future.

It wasn't until the hallway grew unexpectedly dark when the fighting stopped for a moments time. Guards looked around in confusion then began to loudly exclaim things when what could only be described as a giant shadow gathered at their feet.

"What the hell is going on?" Sting asked, realizing the familiarity of the shadow.

Their group watched, slowly backing into a circle so as to avoid the shadow that was consuming the guards. They were slowly slipping away into nothing which terrified everyone present. Nobody they knew had the power to do so.

Sting watched as the familiar shadow completely did away with the dozens of guards in astonishment. Yes, he knew those shadows from anywhere, he knew his best friend's power when he saw it. But this entire vanishing act? Definitely, something he'd never seen Rogue pull off, let alone mention. And Rogue was supposed to be participating in the games, so just what was he observing?

The shadows on the floor began to shift from the ground up into a cloud of smoke that was unnaturally dark, somewhat like a storm cloud would appear. It was like a warning trying to tell them something terrible was about to happen, and that they couldn't escape it in the same way a storm would be inescapable. The definition of ominous.

The smoke started to shift into a form into more concentrated and smaller amounts until finally, a person materialized in front of them. He had a mix of black and white hair, a tattoo on the side of his face and a scar that seemed like it had never received medical treatment. It was different from the one the current Rogue had; it looked worse. He looked to be the very definition of a crazy man.

And that wasn't even mentioning he was blocking their exit.

A slight smile appeared on his face once he made eye contact with them. "It seems we meet again, Natsu," he then tilted his head in acknowledgment at Sting. "Sting."

And then, the words that changed everything; "I'm Rogue."

Behind Sting, Lucy gasped. He would have too if he wasn't stunned speechless. His best friendーdare he say brotherーstood in front of him in a form that he didn't recognize. Assuming this Rogue was from the future like the other Lucy they had with them, then he was nothing like the present Rogue. The difference in appearances was obvious, however, the Future Rogue had an unhinged quality to him that he seemed to be keeping in check. Maybe the people around Sting hadn't observed that yet, as they didn't know Rogue as well as him, but he saw it.

The Future Rogue regarded the five of them cooly, much like the one of the present would. However, this Rogue didn't hold the same respecting gaze Sting's best friend did. There was something unhinged about the way he observed the world around him.

"Rogue?" Happy asked in confusion.

Before the Rogue could reply, the overpowering sound of the clock striking midnight interrupted him. The ringing of the bells seemed to stir the Rogue into determination. He narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, I'm Rogue. I've come to stop the end of the world from happening. In the future, ten thousand dragons take over Fiore. I'm from seven years in the future. I've come to stop the end of humanity once and for all. In my time, there's only ten percent left of humanity. I came back because the Eclipse gate only has a fraction of the power that it used to hold at this time."

For a moment, nobody knew what to say to Rogue. What could you possibly say to the revelation of humanity's end? The only thing they could do was to help the Rogue from the future. Yet, Sting got the feeling something was left out of what Rogue said.

And the other thought that just couldn't seem to leave Sting's mind was about himself. If he was alive in the future, then there was no way he would miss out on coming back to the past to help Rogue, so that could only mean one thing. The future him must've died with the rest of humanity, hopefully fighting off dragons. That was his true purpose as a dragon slayer after all.

"So then what do we have to do?" Natsu asked the future Rogue.

"Someone prevents the gate from opening, leading to the death of humanity as we know it."

Lucy stepped closer to Rogue. "But who would do such a thing?" She asked in astonishment.

Future Rogue looked to Lucy, his expression immediately turning to one of anger. And in that moment, Sting realized something pivotal. That was the same expression Rogue had regarded him within the vision he had. In fact, there was something really off about the man standing in front of the person.

But everything was moving too quickly for Sting to truly realize just how wrong the situation was.

"I've come back to kill this person so that humanity may be saved," Future Rogue explained.

"Kill?" Lucy questioned. "Don't you think that's a bit too much? Shouldn't we talk to this person first?"

"No. No matter what is done, what we try to change, fate will always be the same. This person will always close the gate."

How did they get there? How did the whole trip to Crocus go from the start of the games and a simple rivalry to an impending apocalypse ready to destroy the world? Now there were people from the future? visions? They'd all had a lifetime of craziness, but this brought that craziness to a whole new level.

"Man, what are you talking about?" Natsu said.

Completely disregarding Natsu, Rogue yelled: "That person is you, Lucy Heartfillia!"

Without warning, he summoned his magic forming some sort of shadowy weapon and fired it towards Lucy. Sting and Natsu tried to stop it, they really did, but it was too late. The weapon was already past them headed straight towards Lucy's heart.

The future Lucy, who was standing right beside the present Lucy, jumped so that she may block the killing blow. It was like everything had happened in slow motion, then the next they knew, the future Lucy was lying on the ground bleeding out through her cloak.

She didn't even make a sound of pain, just gasping noises. Then, the world sped up. Lucy and Sting ran to her side with Lucy supporting her head murmuring comforting phrases.

"Why would you do that?" Lucy whispered in fear that talking an octave louder would end with her voice wavering.

"If the past me died, I'd die too. And I didn't close the gate," the future Lucy tried to comfort.

"I know," Lucy weakly replied.

"I came back to protect the future, I did just that," the future Lucy said, then made eye contact with Sting. "I haven't seen you in years," she sobbed.

Sting felt his heart shatter into two when she ran her hand across his face softly as if he was the one about to fade away rather than her. He felt tears gather in his eyes but he refused to shed them. He set her hand down only to notice the pink guild mark was gone.

The Future Lucy had just confirmed his suspicion that he died early on in the future. But he wouldn't let that happen this time. No, this time, they would help the Future Lucy stop the impending apocalypse. He wouldn't let the present Lucy go through that pain, and neither would he let Rogue and Lector have to experience that.

But just the thought that this was the first time she'd seen him in years sent feelings of dread through him. Had the visions been correct? In Natsu's vision, they'd supposedly died together. So maybe the visions were a general warning of what was to come. The more Sting considered the possibility that they were meant as an abstract message was perhaps even more chilling. That meant they had no idea what was to come.

The life in the future Lucy began fading away while the only sounds to be heard was Lucy and Happy's sobbing.

Sting tried to get the present Lucy away once the future Lucy had gone completely still, but it was like she didn't want to move. She was frozen from watching herself die.

So instead, Sting turned to glare at the future Rogue with teary eyes, just like Natsu was currently doing. Sting began to wonder if it was his own death what had messed the future Rogue up so thoroughly that he thought death was the only answer? It was plausible, but either way, it didn't lessen the fact that he had just murdered Lucy.

In response, the future Rogue scowled back at both of them before reaching under his shirt. He grabbed hold of a golden chain that glinted in the dull lighting of the palace hallway. As he yanked it off roughly, Sting recognized it. It was the necklace he had gifted to Lucy. He didn't even know that it had gone missing.

Sting felt his anger flare as he watched the future Rogue quite literally throw the necklace to the floor. "How could she have possibly forgotten that she closed the gate?"

"She said she didn't!" Lucy yelled in anger, "and I know I would never do that!"

The future Rogue sneered. "I've been trying to track her down for days, and all I found was that stupid necklace," he then turned to Sting. "I remember you trying to hide it, but that never worked out for you. Especially not now, considering it helped me track her down."

Sting stood up from where he was standing beside Lucy and stood beside Natsu. The Rogue in front of him was nothing like the one of the present, that was already clear. But now Sting knew that there was something seriously wrong and that Rogue needed to be stopped.

"What have you done?" Sting seethed.

"What needed to be done. She needed to be stopped before she could close the gate."

"Would you stop talking about me like I've already done that! I would _never_ close the gate."

Sting became temporarily surprised. He didn't think that he'd ever heard Lucy so angry. Even when she was upset at him for the first time. And in turn, Lucy upset the future Rogue by denying she'd do such a thing.

Sting felt the magic power surging through the future Rogue as his anger grew. "You cannot escape fate!" He yelled, nearly sending another attack at Lucy.

However, this time, Natsu and Sting knew what was coming and acted quickly to protect Lucy.

Natsu stopped the first blow by sending a flaming fist aimed directly at the future Rogue's face. "I'm going to turn fate into a pile of ashes."

It was then Sting got a glimpse of Natsu's face. He noticed the tears freely falling and couldn't help but wonder how he himself wasn't crying. Maybe it was the shock of _everything_ . His best friend from the future was insane, he was apparently dead in the future and the future Lucy had just died. It was all too much.

Sting felt it was best to stay away from the fight the future Rogue and Natsu were currently in temporarily as it was fast paced and beyond destructive. Someone needed to tell Lucy to leave, and quickly before the situation worsened.

Lucy was still sitting on the floor with semi-dried tears on her cheeks. "Lucy, you need to leave now, okay? It's dangerous, and you have to go to the gate. Happy, please go with her."

The exceed nodded while Lucy hollowly agreed, shakily standing up. The sight of some dried blood on her leg disturbed the both of them, but they didn't acknowledge it. There was no time to do so.

Before Sting could turn around to join Natsu in the fight, Lucy grabbed him and pulled him close kissing him on the lips tenderly. If it was the last time they saw each other, she really didn't want it to be an entirely sad goodbye.

Sting's lips twisted with a melancholic smile before he told Lucy to get going.

Sting didn't even turn to watch Lucy and Happy leave. Instead, he watched Natsu and the future Rogue fight temporarily. The future Rogue's fighting style was like nothing Sting had seen before. It was erratic, powerful and fast. He didn't seem to rely as much on shadows as the present Rogue did, but rather, he relied on pure power. Just the same way Natsu did.

Sting held off for a moment longer. There was something mentally that he had to get over. It was the stigma of fighting his best friend's future self, he guessed. Deciding to finally join in once Natsu pulled off a particularly destructive move, Sting stopped in his tracks when he heard it:

"White shadow dragon mode!"

 _White?_

But how? In Sting's mind, he tried to come up with the reason why this maniac that was supposedly Rogue had that power because that was his magic, not Rogue's. Maybe his future self had given it over to the future Rogue when he died.

The two of them continued fighting as Sting, yet again was beyond stunned.

"White shadow dragon's rough silk!" The future Rogue yelled before Natsu was pierced and knocked over, seemingly dazed by the powerful attack. Sting made sure to check if he was okay.

Finally, Sting had seen enough. He charged at the future Rogue in a fury he didn't know he had within him. Upon getting up close, Sting noticed something horrifying about the future Rogue. One of his eyes was _gone_ and it was terrifying. How could the future possibly change Rogue this much? He was practically unrecognizable.

"White shadow?" Sting asked, decided to hold off on attacking.

The future Rogue nodded with a slight smile that wasn't at all warming. "Yes. I took your power when I ended your life."

Sting couldn't think for a moment. Nothing was okay.

Noting Sting was shocked by the information, the future Rogue continued. "It wasn't easy, but it was absolutely necessary. In retrospect, I should have done it sooner."

"Why?" Sting asked, broken in every way. It almost felt as if his heart had shattered further if that was even possible. This version of Rogue was some sick perversion of the present one, and it was sickening yet entirely heart rendering.

"Because you were weak and foolish! You gave up everything for Lucy, and look at where it got you! Your guild wants you gone and you're reckless! You'll never be ready for it," The future Rogue all but sneered.

 _You'll never be ready for it._

The same thing Rogue said in the vision. But what did _'it'_ mean?

"You're not making any sense. What is _it_?" Sting tried.

"I don't have the time nor the care to answer that."

Sting glared at the future Rogue, feeling a strange mix of regret, anger, and sadness for his best friend. He also felt frustration for how little he knew about the future events that were constantly hinted at and that plagued his mind.

Distantly, Sting heard Natsu groan and get up, stirring Sting into action. "If you don't stop now, we'll make you," Sting stated. He couldn't believe any of this was happening.

And with that, Sting prepared to fight his best friend alongside Natsu.

* * *

 _Man, that was a lot of mentions of future and present lol. Anyways, I kept re-writing this chapter because I wanted it to be good._

 _So this is actually where the idea for my story came from. I wanted to write a one-shot about Sting meeting the future rogue but at the same time I wanted to write stinglu, so this story happened haha._

 _Sorry that this was late, I've been going through a really rough time so some feedback would be greatly appreciated. Love you all, and I'll see you guys next chapter 3_


	24. Rewind

_AN: I am so, so sorry that this has taken me a month to write. I wrote the last two chapters before I wrote this one because a. I was very intimated by it due to this chapter being the climax and b. I've had the most incredibly crazy month of my life in which I finished my AP classes, got a job, had health issues and so on. But enough of me, here's the chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

Fighting your best friend gone crazy was not an exactly easy thing to do. Especially when you couldn't predict which move he would make next or just how powerful he truly was. Especially when you were emotionally unstable. Sting still couldn't quite think clearly, all he could possibly focus on at the moment was the break speed attacks coming towards him and Natsu. For how powerful Natsu had seemed during the games, even he was having a difficult time fending off Rogue's magic.

The palace hallway was in shambles at that point. Entire rows of tile were obliterated and the beautifully done walls and ceiling were marked up past the point of recognition. If the fight with Rogue didn't get under control soon, then entire palace floor would be destroyed. Even worse, if Future Rogue couldn't be defeated, the world would soon be a reflection of the hallway.

"You might as well say goodbye to Lucy permanently," the Future Rogue taunted.

This only infuriated Natsu and Sting further. Taunting them definitely wasn't the best move on Rogue's part as it only served to make them more powerful.

"You'll regret saying that," Natsu seethed, then rushed at Rogue.

To Sting, the fight felt endless. He didn't want to fight the crazy maniac who was supposedly his best friendーhe just wanted to be out there with Lucy and everyone figuring out the whole dragon issue. Instead, he was stuck fighting a psychopath.

While they were exchanging blows with Future Rogue, Happy had flown up behind them.

"You guys, Lucy needs help urgently!"

Sting and Natsu had no idea what was happening outside of the palace, but both of their minds were filled with dread at Happy's words. Was Lucy okay? Just what kind of help did she need? The Future Rogue smirked at them as if to say 'I told you so.'

"Natsu, hold him off. I'll go help Lucy," Sting told him.

Natsu looked as though he wanted to protest, but he understood the gravity of the situation so he finally nodded at Sting.

Because Sting knew that if anyone could take down Future Rogue, Natsu could.

* * *

A lot had happened in the past hour for Lucy. For one, there was now dragons in Fiore. Two, there was an overwhelming amount of hatchlings on her tail. Last of all, she had almost drained all of her magic earlier. In other words, Lucy really wasn't having a good time. It felt as though death was at her heels and she just couldn't shake it off.

Hell, it looked like death around her. There was rubble from the fallen buildings around her and the air was permeated by the smell of smoke. Much like the visions Natsu had described to them.

Lucy tuned to head through an alleyway that would hopefully help her shake off the hatchlings. If anything, they were just as much a problem as the actual dragons themselves. She ran as fast as possible and cut as many corners as she could because the hatchlings weren't exactly the most agile things in existence. At least she had that on them.

On the last turn in which Lucy thought she had finally escaped the hatchlings, she was faced with five that were directly facing her. Were they everywhere? It would be a really great time for Happy to come back, maybe with someone she knew in tail. Or really anyone because she was starting to get desperate.

Lucy turned back the way she came only to realize she was trapped. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute and her vision was blurring.

Was this the end? A death in the rubble with nobody to witness it but mindless things? She couldn't possibly let her last dying moments come down to this.

* * *

"Lucy isn't here!" Happy said, devastated.

"She had to have gone somewhere! Take me up in the air again," Sting replied. He kept as aware as possible and tried to smell for Lucy but it was difficult with all the smoke in the air.

Then, he paused. He definitely caught on to somethingーit was a light perfumey smell. That was Lucy.

"That way!" Sting pointed west for Happy and then the flew off. They were both determined to get to Lucy in time, as Happy had explained her situation to Sting while getting to where he'd last seen Lucy.

"There!" Sting pointed out for Happy. Below them was Lucy who was surrounded by the metal creatures Happy had described.

Sting's heart skipped a beat when he realized she was helpless. Next they knew, a beam of energy pierced out and struck Lucy through the abdomen.

"No!" Sting shouted, his vision immediately blurring up.

First Lector and then... Lucy? No, she couldn't be dead.

"Put me on the ground, now!"

Happy complied with Sting's demand and placed him on the ground.

Sting should've been exhausted from the amount of magical energy he spent while fighting Rogue, but it was the opposite. The anger coursing through him made him feel as though he could take on an army. Or in his case, a bunch of powered up hatchlings.

Immediately, the hatchlings were vaporized when he hit the ground with a blind amount of white magic.

Sting ran over to where Lucy had collapsed, tears freely flowing.

"Lucy, Lucy!" He called.

Her body had gone deathly pale and there was blood everywhere. Her eyes had gone almost blank as she muttered out something incoherent.

Her dying wasn't like it would be in the books, with dying words that seemed well thought out and meaningful. Instead, they were just quiet mumblings that were incoherently strung together. Sting couldn't make sense of anything she was saying, instead, he held her hand tightly.

"It's going to be okay," he lied as comfort. He blatantly knew nothing would be alright. A gap in her chest was freely bleeding and he knew that nothing could stop itーhe wasn't an idiot. Or maybe he was for caring about people.

It seemed that lately, caring had brought nothing but suffering and heart break. First Lector, then Rogue and finally, Lucy.

And who would have guessed that Rogue had been right all along. Sting never was ready for it. And now he knew what Rogue meant by 'it.' He meant Lucy's death.

Eventually, Lucy's eyes glazed over and her breathing stopped. Sting didn't say anything, and neither did Happy.

More than anything, they were too overwhelmed by Lucy's death.

* * *

Sting didn't know how long he had stayed beside Lucy's body. All he knew was that it felt like an eternity had passed and he was a new person.

Going into the Grand Magic Games, he had certainly not expected for this outcome. Never did he think that Crocus would be destroyed by dragons, or that he would nearly be kicked out of Sabertooth or that Lector would be taken as blackmail. If someone had told him his friend from the future would come back crazy, admit to killing him and then try to kill his girl friend, Sting would have thought they'd gone mental.

And most of all, if he knew that he was going to fall in love with a girl and watch her die, he would've never gone in the first place.

And yes, he loved Lucy. Watching somebody you care about definitely makes you re-evaluate your opinion on people and love in general.

So yes, he loved Lucy. But it was too late to tell her that.

That was, of course, until she wasn't.

* * *

Sting found himself back in the familiar position of being in the sky with Happy, trying to find where Lucy had gone.

Except this time he knew what was going to happen and where to be.

Channeling that same desperate anger he had felt earlier, Sting incinerated the hatchlings.

As soon as Happy put him down on the ground, he rushed to Lucy and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. They didn't say anything for a while, as they both remember what could have been. So they enjoyed each other's company as much as possible, soaking in the fact that Lucy was alive and by some miracle they'd been given a second chance. They didn't understand how, or why, but were beyond thankful to be in each other's arms.

And Sting didn't want to waste a minute more. Pulling out of Lucy's arms, Sting looked her dead in the eyes.

"Lucy, I love you."

Her brown eyes filled with tears. "I love you too."

And so sure, maybe part of Crocus was destroyed and there were dragons roaming about freely. But together, they could deal with the issue. They could make sure that everything would be okay because that's the hope that a second chance gave them.

Everything would be alright, even if they were in the middle of a damned apocalypse. They'd make it through, they always did.

* * *

 _AN: I made it so that everyone remembers dying because I love angst. Sorry ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯_

 _(No, I haven't forgotten about Lector, that part is next chapter)._

 _Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, you honestly make my day when I read what you guys have written! Next chapter will be up within the week (I've already written it), hope you enjoyed!_


	25. Heal

The fight against the dragons was over, and everyone was okayーfor the most part. The memories of what could have been was too close in their minds for comfort. But it was better than being dead.

Happy was also being uncharacteristically quiet.

It was still late at night, and Sting refused to leave Lucy's side. There was rubble everywhere, and smoking ruins from where there once may have been a building. Sting held on to Lucy everywhere they went. They didn't know where everyone else went, so they continued to wonder. For the amount of times Sting had been to Crocus, he couldn't recognize where he was.

"Are you okay still?" Sting asked.

"I've been better," Lucy replied, looking to the cut on her arm.

"I-" Sting hesitated. "I don't know what's going to happen after all this. Rogue, he... No, I know that wasn't the Rogue we know. It's just... Does he have the potential to become the same man who caused all of this? And I don't even want to think about Lector. Minerva said that he'd be killed if we didn't win the games, but I don't even know where she's gone."

Lucy stopped and turned to look in his eyes. "No matter what happens, we'll be alright, okay? We'll make everything work."

"Okay," he replied, then hugged her.

* * *

Hours of wondering and daybreak finally lead to Lucy and Sting finding all the other mages, who were talking amongst themselves and helping the injured. At first, Lucy's heart started to beat quickly. She couldn't see any of her guild members. What if they were dead?

She knew it was irrational the second she caught sight of some bright pink hair in the crowd.

"Sting, thank you for saving me. You should go look for Rogue and Minerva, okay? If I go with you, I think I'd only make it worse," Lucy said.

Sting nodded and went off in search of his own guildmates. He wasn't exactly overjoyed to see them, but it was a relief everyone was alive and well. Except for Minerva, who was nowhere in sight.

"Look who finally decided to show his face!" Orga all but yelled, causing everyone to stare at Sting.

Rogue turned around a smiled; a genuine smile that rarely graced Rogue's face. Sting was just happy that there wasn't a deranged quality to his face, and that there was no scars or wild hair.

"Thought I needed a break," Sting replied in good humour. He didn't really care what they thought anymore. Not after everything he'd been through.

Orga looked partly shocked before realizing Sting was joking. "I'm guessing jail treated you well?"

"I was only in there for a day," Sting said, before turning his back to Orga and looking at Rogue.

"It's nice to see you," Sting greeted. Probably not the best greeting after so much time apart.

Rogue hit Sting on the arm. "We didn't know where you went. We all thought you were dead," he admitted.

Sting was shocked as Rogue pulled him in for a hug. They had always been best friends, but they never really let it show what with the whole 'every Mage for themselves' attitude in Sabertooth.

"Also, this crazy cat lady came up to me earlier. She has a surprise for you," Rogue told him.

Sting let himself follow Rogue, purposely not guessing at the surprise lest he got his hopes up. Going through the crowd of mages, he was happy to see how everyone was overjoyed to be with their fellow guildmates again.

"Milliana," Rogue called.

A girl with a large cloak turned around and Sting's heart nearly stopped. At her feet, Lector was proudly telling everyone about Sting.

"Lector!" Sting exclaimed.

He couldn't believe it. He didn't even care where Minerva had gone, Lector was back and that was beyond describable.

He thought that he'd never see Lector again! So maybe everything would be alright after all.

* * *

The ball every guild had been invited to was grand. There was live music that was playing a classy yet lively tune. Among all the people dancing sat tables with loads of food. So much that Lucy thought that they'd never be able to finish the that much food (well maybe Natsu could). Above all the dancing people was a vaulted ceiling that was decorated so elaborately that it made Lucy wonder how many years it took to make.

Wondering around the people dancing in fancy dresses, Lucy searched for her guildmates. She was beyond proud of the stunning pink dress she'd picked out for the ball and with all the effort she'd gone through to get the perfect dress, she wanted to show if off to everyone. Especially Sting.

Speaking of Sting, she hadn't seen him for a day because he was so busy with guild issues. So maybe she'd go find Sting next.

"Lucy!" Gray exclaimed, beside him was Juvia who was tightly holding onto his out coat as if he was about to leave her and never return.

"Hey Gray, how's it going?"

"Great," Gray replied, motioning to all the drinks and snacks. "By the way, I think I saw Sting over with some of the Lamia Scale guild members."

"Thanks, Gray, but I want to go see everyone else first. Have you seen Levy?"

Before Gray could answer, Juvia piped in. "I saw her on the other side of the room with Gajeel!" Well somebody wanted to get rid of Lucy. (ITALICSHSHS) either way, at least she got her answer.

"Thanks guys," Lucy waved before making her way through the crowds of chatting people to get to Levy.

So far, even though it had been only minutes, Lucy was feeling better than she had in a very, _very_ long time. It more than likely had to do with the whole star-crossed lovers problem being out of the way and the fact that Fairy Tail had just won the games. Not to mention, she no longer felt that aching loneliness in herself anymore. Sting would never fill the hole that her father had left, but he did help the feeling of being lost. Not to mention, Lucy didn't feel distant from her guildmates either. Almost all was well but one thing, but that one thing could wait until the ball was over. She at least deserved a moment of bliss.

"Levy!" Lucy called, trying to get the blue headed girl's attention off of Gajeel.

Levy looked away from Gajeel and began to smile the moment she set her eyes on Lucy's dress. "Oh Lu-chan, you look beautiful! Have you gone to see Sting yet? I saw him around here somewhere, I bet he'd appreciate it."

Lucy blushed. "Yeah, I'll go see him in a bit. I just wanted to spend a bit of time with you guys because I kept running and hiding from you all. I think that I should at least make it up in some way."

"Lucy that's ridiculous. You know we all forgave you for that! Go have a good time!"

"He was asking about you too, you know," Gajeel added in.

Lucy willed her face not to heat up further. "Thanks, guys, I guess I'll go find him then."

So Lucy continued to maneuver through the ballroom enjoying the sights of people laughing, drinking and dancing. Not to mention the beautiful music playing in the back that gave the place and overall classy feeling. It was kinda ironic considering so many of the people in attendance were rowdy, but at least she enjoyed it and it seemed they other were too.

Finally, Lucy spotted Sting grinning ear to ear and laughing at a joke Rogue had just made. Beside him was Lector; it seemed as though Sting had reverted to a happier and more care-free version of the man she had met in the bar in what seemed like forever ago. And for that, she was glad.

"Sting!" Lucy joyfully said.

Sting turned around with a smile and hugged her tightly in greeting. "You look beautiful," he commented.

"Thank you," Lucy replied sincerely. She was glad everyone loved her pink dress because she loved it too.

"Wanna catch some air?" Sting asked her, slipping away from Rogue and Lector.

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

Out on the balcony was a beautiful view of Crocus in the evening moonlight. It was a bit chilly, but that was okay because Sting handed Lucy his coat. Lucy had protested, but Sting insisted she wear it.

"So how are you?" Sting asked.

Lucy immediately cracked up. After all, they'd been through, that was what he first said to her?

"What?!" Sting questioned, clearly confused.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just glad everything is done I guess."

"Yeah, so am I."

For a little while, they allowed a comfortable silence to hang between them, fine with just listening to the music coming from inside and observing the city in front of them. It was then Sting realized something very pivotal to their lives. In fact, it was something they'd brought up before, but back then they were in a different circumstance.

"Lucy, what are we going to do once we go back to our guilds?"

Lucy stiffened, realizing the problem still existed before relaxing again. "Come stay at Fairy Tail."

"What?!" Sting exclaimed at her straightforward answer. Then he began to consider it further; he didn't want to stay at Sabertooth for obvious reasons, and yet, he _did_ want to stay. Leaving Sabertooth would mean leaving a portion of his life behind, and then there was the matter of Rogue. He couldn't just up and abandon his best friend - they weren't called the twin dragons of Sabertooth for nothing!

"I-I don't know what to say, Lucy."

"You don't have to give me an answer now, you can think about it, you know."

Sting gave a nervous laugh until it full on became a laughing feast for the both of them. To say they were beyond joyful was an understatement.

"You seriously didn't think that you had to answer me right then, did you?" Lucy asked, still giggling.

"Yes..." Sting replied, causing her to laugh more.

So maybe their relationship had been off to a rocky start. ( _Okay, a lot more than rocky_ ). But at least they had the time and peace to figure things out between themselves. Not only that but they had the opportunity to finally and wholly be themselves, because how could they before when their friends, who were practically their family, were left out of their lives?

It was time to mend and repair all the damage that had been done.

* * *

 _AN: One more chapter left, I'm so happy!_

 _Your reviews really mean the world to me guys, thank you!_


	26. Bright Future

It had been two weeks since Lucy had last seen Sting. They'd gone their separate ways back to their respective guilds so that they may have time to sort out their personal lives (not to mention, their guilds both had a lot to fix after the games). So it had been decided that they needed time so that their lives could be in order and they'd come to a conclusion about who went to which guild.

Currently, Lucy was humming peacefully in the new guildhall while reading a magazine. That was until Natsu burst into the guildhall with the slamming of the doors.

"Lucy!" He called.

Lucy stood up. "Yeah? What's up?"

Natsu dug around in his pocket for a few moments. "I got this for you."

Lucy took the envelope from his extended hand with curiosity. The letter had a bit of a weight to it, leaving her to wonder what exactly was enclosed in it.

"Thanks, Natsu," she said, sitting back down at the table. Levy, who had been curious, came over and sat beside Lucy.

"Who's it from?" She asked.

"I don't know," Lucy replied, opening the letter. Reaching inside, Lucy discovered there was another letter enclosed and a necklace. She took the necklace out, and upon closer inspection, she discovered it was the same necklace with the star pendant.

"Sting gave that to you, didn't he?" Levy observed. Before, she'd believed Lucy's lie that she'd bought the necklace for herself, and she didn't blame Lucy for lying considering all that had happened.

Lucy nodded, then opened the letter, curious to read its contents.

The letter was addressed to her, and it came from Sabertooth. Immediately, she knew what it was concerning.

 _Dear Lucy,_

 _With Minerva and Jiemma gone, Sabertooth has been flourishing. Lector is fine and I'm okay tooーI've even been offered a position as guild leader. Not that I want to accept it, what with everything that's happened. I don't think I can forget some of the stuff that's happened with this guild, but I'm sure someone else will step up. That's why I'm going to ask this: should I move to Magnolia with you? We no longer have to hide anything, so I think that it would be a great idea._

 _Write me back about what you think,_

 _Sting_

And that was how the letter ended. Lucy felt overwhelmed at the proposition, excited even! They had a rough start, but everything turned out to be okay for them in the end.

"What did it say?" Levy asked, clearly excited after seeing Lucy's expression.

"He wants to know if he can come live here!" Lucy said, happy tears starting to gather in her eyes.

"Oh Lu-chan, that's great!" Levy threw her arms out, ready to hug Lucy.

Lucy accepted the hug happily, finally glad that all the turmoil in her life was over.

"Now I have to write back to him," Lucy told Levy, then fastened the necklace around her neck. She'd forgotten how much she liked to wear it when it had been lostーthat, and she had much more important things to worry about.

"I'm going to go home and write back, okay Levy?"

"Sure thing Lucy!"

* * *

Lucy had a blank piece of paper sitting in front of her. She loved to write, she even thought she was decent at it. However, she was lost for the words to write back to Sting. Composing a letter that would determine their future was slightly daunting. So she dipped her pen in ink and began to writeーmaybe writing out a sentence would force more ideas to come to her. That was what she did when she didn't know what to write in her book.

So it started off:

 _Dear Sting,_

Lucy immediately scrapped it. Addressing Sting as 'dear' felt weird. Instead, she wrote:

 _Sting,_

Yeah, that was better.

 _I got your letter just today and I can't tell you how excited I got while reading it. I think that you coming here is a great idea, but I don't want you to feel too distant from Rogue. Again, that's your choice._

 _Earlier, I couldn't help but wonder about the way we met each other. I was lonely, sitting on a park bench and thinking about my father who I found out was dead when I came back from Tenrou Island. At first, you helped fill up this lonely space in me because I think you also had a space like me, and wouldn't admit it. I had asked you about Sabertooth, and you were adamant that it was a good guild. It's clear now, how terrible things were under Jiemma's lead now that I see how happy and care-free you've been. I think it's good that you'll be getting away from Sabertooth for a bit, but don't be too hasty to leave. I think that lots of your guildmates have the potential to make Sabertooth better than it ever was._

 _And as for you? We've been through a lot, you may have even been through more than me during the games, yet we kept supporting each other and I want to_ say thank _you for that. There was a point when I seriously thought that we would both meet our end in Crocusーthat even did happen, in a way. But life is easier now._

 _My friends forgave me a long time ago, even if I think that Gray, Natsu_ , _and Erza worry about me sometimes, they stick by me and have my side. I even think that they like you because of everything you've stood up forーone day, Gray described to me in detail what happened after Minerva had seriously injured me. He only spoke about you in a praising tone, so I think that's good._

 _I'm sorry, this is turning into a really long letter, but I like to write. So overall, yes, I think that you should come move in with me._

 _P.S. I hope Lector is doing okay!_

 _P.P.S. Where did you find the necklace?_

 _Lucy_

Lucy shook her hand because it was cramped from writing so much and sealed up the letter. She was proud of what she wrote and was more than excited for the future to come.

If she could endure the Grand Magic Games, and if there was good that came from all the suffering, then she had hope for the future. It seemed like it would be a very bright one.

* * *

 _AN: I'm finished! I'm so happy, and thank you guys a thousand times for all the reviews, favourites and follows! They mean the world to me and I'm incredibly happy that so many people have taken an_ interest _in this story._

 _I also felt that it was only appropriate to have a happy ending after all the angst I've put everyone through lol. Sometimes it's nice to just end something happy and resolute. I don't think that_ _there are enough happy endings in life, so I thought that I'd at least write one._

 _To answer Lucy's question in the letter, since I forgot to include this part (because I'm an idiot and will write it in later), Natsu got the necklace back from the future Rogue and gave it to Lucy._

 _Again, thanks to all who have read this story! It's been a fun time, and who knows, I might write another Fairy Tail story sometime because this fandom is awesome!_


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